NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE  WAR 

OF  1812  JAMES  BARNES 


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«•• 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


LIBRARY 

OF  THK 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

Class 


NAVAL   ACTIONS 

OF 

THE  WAR  OF    1812 


BY 


JAM  ES      BARN  ES 

AUTHOR  OF 
"FOR  KING  OR  COUNTRY" 


WITH     ILLUSTRATIONS     BY 
CARLTON  T.  CHAPMAN 


NEW    YORK 
HARPER  <&•  BROTHERS    PUBLISHERS 


BY   THE   SAME  AUTHOR. 


FOR  KING  OR  COUNTRY.    A  Story  of  the  Amer 
ican  Revolution.  Illustrated.  Post  8vo,  Cloth,  $1  50. 

A  story  that  will  be  eagerly  welcomed  by  boys  of  all 
ages.  ...  It  is  doubtful  whether  the  reader  will  be  con 
tent  to  lay  the  story  aside  until  he  has  finished  it.  It  is 
a  good  book  for  an  idle  day  in  the  country,  and  we  cor 
dially  recommend  it  both  to  boys  on  a  holiday  and  to 
boys  that  stay  at  home. — Saturday  Evening  Gazette, 
Boston. 

A  spirited  story  of  the  days  that  tried  men's  souls,  full 
of  incident  and  movement  that  keep  up  the  reader's 
interest  to  the  turning  of  the  last  page.  It  is  full  of 
dramatic  situations  and  graphic  descriptions  which  irre 
sistibly  lead  the  reader  on,  regretful  at  the  close  that 
there  is  not  still  more  of  it. — Christian  Work,  N.  Y. 

A  fascinating  study.  It  is  replete  with  those  Homeric 
touches  which  delight  the  heart  of  the  healthy  boy.  .  .  . 
It  would  be  difficult  to  find  a  more  fascinating  book  for 
the  young. — Philadelphia  Bulletin. 

A  capital  story  for  boys,  both  young  and  old;  full  of 
adventure  and  movement,  thoroughly  patriotic  in  tone, 
throwing  luminous  sidelights  upon  the  main  events  of 
the  Revolution. — Brooklyn  Standard-Union. 

PUBLISHED   BY   HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  NEW  YORK. 


Copyright,  1896,  by  HARPER  &  BROTHERS. 


TO 
MY   FATHER 

WHOSE    ENCOURAGEMENT    AND    ASSISTANCE    ARE    HEREBY 

ACKNOWLEDGED  WITH   AFFECTIONATE   GRATITUDE 

I   HAVE  THE   HONOR   TO   DEDICATE 

THIS   BOOK 


PREFACE 


THE  country  that  has  no  national  heroes  whose 
deeds  should  be  found  emblazoned  on  her  annals, 
that  can  boast  no  men  whose  lives  and  conduct  can 
be  held  up  as  examples  of  what  loyalty,  valor,  and 
courage  should  be,  that  country  has  no  patriotism, 
no  heart,  no  soul. 

If  it  be  wrong  to  tell  of  a  glorious  past,  for  fear  of 
keeping  alive  an  animosity  that  should  have  perished 
with  time,  there  have  been  many  offenders ;  and  the 
author  of  the  following  pages  thus  writes  himself 
down  as  one  of  them.  Truly,  if  pride  in  the  past 
be  a  safeguard  for  the  future  in  forming  a  national 
spirit,  America  should  rejoice. 

There  exists  no  Englishman  to-day  whose  heart 
is  not  moved  at  the  word  "  Trafalgar,"  or  whose 
feelings  are  not  stirred  by  the  sentence  "  England 
expects  every  man  to  do  his  duty."  The  slight,  one- 
armed  figure  of  Admiral  Nelson  has  been  before  the 
Briton's  eyes  as  boy  and  man,  surrounded  always 
with  the  glamour  that  will  never  cease  to  enshroud 
a  nation's  hero.  Has  it  kept  alive  a  feeling  of  ani- 


VI  PREFACE 

mosity  against  France  to  dwell  on  such  a  man  as 
this,  and  to  keep  his  deeds  alive?  So  it  may  be. 
But  no  Englishman  would  hide  the  cause  in  order 
to  lose  the  supposed  effect  of  it. 

In -searching  the  history  of  our  own  country,  when 
it  stood  together  as  a  united  nation,  waging  just  war, 
we  find  England,  our  mother  country,  whose  lan 
guage  we  speak,  arrayed  against  us.  But,  on  ac 
count  of  this  bond  of  birth  and  language,  should  we 
cease  to  tell  about  the  deeds  of  those  men  who  freed 
us  from  her  grasp  and  oppressions,  and  made  us 
what  we  are?  I  trust  not.  May  our  navy  glory  in 
its  record,  no  matter  the  consequences !  May  our 
youth  grow  up  with  the  lives  of  these  men — our 
Yankee  commanders — before  them,  and  may  they 
profit  by  their  examples ! 

This  should  not  inculcate  a  hatred  for  a  former 
foe.  It  should  only  serve  to  build  up  that  national 
esprit  de  corps  without  which  no  country  ever  stood 
up  for  its  rights  and  willed  to  fight  for  them.  May 
the  sons  of  our  new  citizens,  whose  fathers  have 
served  kings,  perhaps,  and  come  from  other  coun 
tries,  grow  up  with  a  pride  in  America's  own  na 
tional  history!  How  can  this  be  given  them  unless 
they  read  of  it  in  books  or  gain  it  from  teaching  ? 

But  it  is  not  the  intention  to  instruct  that  has 
caused  the  author  to  compile  and  collate  the  ma 
terial  used  in  the  following  pages.  He  has  been 
influenced  by  his  own  feelings,  that  are  shared  by 
the  many  thousands  of  the  descendants  of  "  the  men 


PREFACE  Vll 

• 

who  fought."     It  has  been  his  pleasure,  and  this 
alone  is  his  excuse. 

Mr.  Carlton  T.  Chapman,  whose  spirited  paint 
ings  are  reproduced  to  illustrate  this  volume,  has 
caught  the  atmosphere  of  action,  and  has  given  us 
back  the  old  days  in  a  way  that  makes  us  feel  them. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

INTRODUCTION i 

I 

The  United  States  frigate  Constitution,  on  July  I7th,  1812,  falls 
in  with  a  British  squadron,  but  escapes,  owing  to  the 
masterly  seamanship  of  Captain  Isaac  Hull 23 

II 

The  Constitution,  under  command  of  Captain  Hull,  captures 
the  British  frigate  Guerrtire,  under  command  of  Captain 
Richard  Dacres,  August  iQth,  1812 35 

III 

The  United  States  sloop  of  war  Wasp,  Captain  Jacob  Jones, 
captures  the  English  sloop  of  war  Frolic,  October  i8th, 
1812 ;  both  vessels  taken  on  the  same  day  by  the  English 
seventy-four  Poictiers 47 

IV 

October  25th,  1812,  the  British  frigate  Macedonian,  command 
ed  by  John  S.  Garden,  is  captured  by  the  United  States 
frigate,  under  command  of  Stephen  Decatur ;  the  prize 
is  brought  to  port 59 


Captain  Wm.  Bainbridge,  in  the  Constitution,  captures  the 
British  frigate  Java  off  the  coast  of  Brazil,  December 
29th,  1812;  ihtjava  is  set  fire  to  and  blows  up.  ...  73 


X  CONTENTS 

VI 

PAGB 

Gallant  action  of  the  privateer  schooner  Comet,  of  14  guns, 
against  three  English  vessels  and  one  Portuguese,  Janu 
ary  I4th,  1813 91 

VII 

The  United  States  sloop  of  war  Hornet,  Captain  James  Law 
rence,  takes  the  British  brig  Peacock ;  the  latter  sinks 
after  the  action,  February  24th,  1813 103 

VIII 

The  United  States  frigate  Chesapeake  is  captured  by  the  Eng 
lish  frigate  Shannon  after  a  gallant  defence,  June  ist, 
1813 113 

IX 

The  United  States  brig  Enterprise,  commanded  by  William 
Burrows,  captures  H.  B.  M.  sloop  of  war  Boxer,  Septem 
ber  5th,  1813;  Burrows  killed  during  the  action  .  .  .  129 


On  September  loth,  1813,  the  American  fleet  on  Lake  Erie, 
under  the  command  of  Oliver  Hazard  Perry,  captures 
the  entire  English  naval  force  under  Commodore  Bar- 
clav 139 

XI 

The  American  privateer  brig  General  Armstrong,  of  9  guns 
and  90  men,  repulses  a  boat  attack  in  the  harbor  of 
Fayal,  the  British  suffering  a  terrific  loss,  September 
27th,  1813 159 

XII 

March  28th,  1814,  the  United  States  frigate  Essex,  under  Cap 
tain  David  Porter,  is  captured  by  two  English  vessels, 
the  Phoebe  and  the  Cherub,  in  the  harbor  of  Valparaiso  .  171 


CONTENTS  Xi 

XIII 

»AGB 

The  United  States  sloop  of  war  Peacock,  commanded  by  Cap 
tain  Warrington,  takes  the  British  sloop  of  war  L'Eper- 
vier  on  April  29th,  1814 191 

XIV 

The  United  States  sloop  of  war  Wasp,  under  command  of  Cap 
tain  Blakeley,  captures  the  British  sloop  of  war  Reindeer, 
June  28th,  1814.  The  Wasp  engages  the  British  sloop 
of  war  Avon  on  the  ist  of  September;  the  English  vessel 
sinks  after  the  Wasp  is  driven  off  by  a  superior  force  .  199 

XV 

September  nth,  the  American  forces  on  Lake  Champlain,  un 
der  Captain  Macdonough,  capture  the  English  squadron, 
under  Captain  Downey,  causing  the  evacuation  of  New 
York  State  by  the  British 209 

XVI 

The  United  States  frigate  President,  under  command  of  Cap 
tain  Decatur,  is  taken  by  a  British  squadron  after  a  long 
chase,  during  which  the  President  completely  disabled 
one  of  her  antagonists,  January  1 5th,  1815 219 

XVII 

February  2oth,  1815,  the  Constitution,  under  Captain  Stewart, 
engages  and  captures  two  English  vessels  that  prove  to 
be  the  Cyane  and  the  Levant ;  one  of  her  prizes  is  retaken, 
and  the  Constitution  again  has  a  narrow  escape .  .  .  .231 

XVIII 

The  British  brig  of  war  Penguin  surrenders  to  the  United 
States  brig  Hornet,  commanded  by  Captain  James  Bid- 
die;  the  Penguin  sinks  immediately  after  the  accident, 
March  23d,  1815 245 

XIX 

The  chase  of  the  Hornet,  sloop  of  war,  by  the  Cornwattis,  a 

British  line-of-battle  ship 255 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


THE  SURRENDER  OF  THE  "GUERRIERE"  .  .  .  .  .  Frontispiece 
MEDAL  PRESENTED  BY  CONGRESS  TO  CAPTAIN  ISAAC  HULL  Facing  p.  22 

THE  "CONSTITUTION"  TOWING  AND  KEDGING  ....  26 

THE  "WASP"  RAKING  THE  "  FROLIC " 5O 

MEDAL  PRESENTED  BY  CONGRESS  TO  CAPTAIN  STEPHEN 

DECATUR 58 

MEDAL  PRESENTED  BY  CONGRESS  TO  CAPTAIN  WILLIAM 

BAINBRIDGE 72 

MEDAL  PRESENTED  BY  CONGRESS  TO  CAPTAIN  JAMES 

LAWRENCE IO2 

THE  "PEACOCK"  AND  "HORNET"  AT   CLOSE  QUARTERS  106 

THE  "CHESAPEAKE"  LEAVING  THE  HARBOR  ....  116 
MEMORIAL  MEDAL  IN  HONOR  OF  CAPTAIN  WILLIAM 

BURROWS "          128 

MEDAL    PRESENTED     BY    CONGRESS    TO     LIEUTENANT    ED 
WARD    R.    McCALL "          128 

THE  "ENTERPRISE"  HULLING  THE  "BOXER"  ....  "  132 
MEDAL  PRESENTED  BY  CONGRESS  TO  CAPTAIN  OLIVER 

HAZARD  PERRY "  138 

THE  "NIAGARA"  BREAKS  THE  ENGLISH  LINE  ....  "  148 

THE  "ESSEX"  BEING  CUT  TO  PIECES "  184 

MEDAL  PRESENTED  BY  CONGRESS  TO  CAPTAIN  LEWIS 

WARRINGTON "      IO 


XIV  ILLUSTRATIONS 

THE  "PEACOCK"  CAPTURES  THE  "BPERVIER"      .     .     .Facingp.  192 

MEDAL  PRESENTED    BY  CONGRESS   TO   CAPTAIN  JOHNSTON 

BLAKELEY ••          jgg 

THE    "WASP'S"    FIGHT    WITH    THE    "AVON" "          304 

MEDAL    PRESENTED    BY    CONGRESS    TO    CAPTAIN    THOMAS 

MACDONOUGH "       308 

THE  "PRESIDENT"  ENDEAVORING  TO  ESCAPE  ....      *'       222 

MEDAL   PRESENTED    BY    CONGRESS    TO    CAPTAIN    CHARLES 

STEWART "          330 

THE  "CONSTITUTION"  TAKING  THE  "CYANE"       ...      "       236 
MEDAL   PRESENTED   BY   CONGRESS   TO   CAPTAIN   JAMES 

BIDDLE "         344 

THE  "PENGUIN"  STRIKES  TO  THE  "HORNET".     ...      "      353 


INTRODUCTION 


To  study  the  condition  of  affairs  that  led  up  to 
the  declaration  of  the  second  war  against  Great 
Britain  we  have  but  to  turn  to  the  sea.  Although 
England,  it  must  be  confessed,  had  plenty  of  fight 
ing  on  her  hands  and  troubles  enough  at  home,  she 
had  not  forgotten  the  chagrin  and  disappointments 
caused  by  the  loss  of  the  American  colonies  through 
a  mistaken  enforcement  of  high-handedness.  And 
it  was  this  same  tendency  that  brought  to  her 
vaunted  and  successful  navy  as  great  an  overthrow 
as  their  arms  had  received  on  land  some  thirty-seven 
years  previously. 

The  impressment  of  American  seamen  into  the 
English  service  had  been  continued  despite  remon 
strances  from  our  government,  until  the  hatred  for 
the  sight  of  the  cross  of  St.  George  that  stirred  the 
hearts  of  Yankee  sailormen  had  passed  all  bounds. 
America  under  these  conditions  developed  a  type  of 
patriot  seafarer,  and  this  fact  may  account  for  his 
manners  under  fire  and  his  courage  in  all  circum 
stances. 

The  United  States  was  an  outboard  country,  so 


2  NAVAL  ACTIONS    OF  THE  WAR  OF    l8l2 

to  speak.  We  had  no  great  interstate  traffic,  no 
huge,  developed  West  to  draw  upon,  to  exchange 
and  barter  with.  Our  people  thronged  the  sea-coast, 
and  vessels  made  of  American  pine  and  live-oak 
were  manned  by  American  men.  They  had  sought 
their  calling  by  choice,  and  not  by  compulsion. 
They  had  not  been  driven  from  crowded  cities  be 
cause  they  could  not  live  there.  They  had  not  been 
taken  from  peaceful  homes  and  wives  and  children 
by  press-gangs,  as  was  the  English  custom,  to  slave 
on  board  the  great  vessels  that  Great  Britain  kept 
afloat  by  such  means,  and  such  alone.  But  of  his 
own  free-will  the  Yankee  sailor  sought  the  sea,  and  of 
his  own  free-will  he  served  his  country.  It  would  be 
useless  to  deny  that  the  greater  liberty,  the  higher 
pay,  the  large  chance  for  reward,  tempted  many  for 
eigners  and  many  ex-servants  of  the  king  to  cast 
their  lot  with  us.  But  when  we  think  that  there 
were  kept  unwillingly  on  English  vessels  of  war  al 
most  as  many  American  seamen  as  were  giving  vol 
untary  service  to  their  country  in  our  little  navy,  we 
can  see  on  which  side  the  great  proportion  lies. 

It  is  easy  to  see  that  the  American  mind  was  a 
pent  furnace.  It  only  needed  a  few  more  evidences 
of  England's  injustice  and  contempt  to  make  the 
press  and  public  speech  roar  with  hatred  and  cry 
out  for  revenge.  So  when  in  June,  1812,  war  was 
declared  against  Great  Britain,  it  was  hailed  with 
approbation  and  delight.  But  shots  had  been  ex 
changed  before  this,  and  there  were  men  who  knew 


INTRODUCTION  3 

the  value  of  seamanship,  recognized  the  fact  that 
every  shot  must  tell,  that  every  man  must  be  ready, 
and  that  to  the  navy  the  country  looked;  for  the 
idea  of  a  great  invasion  by  England  was  scouted.  It 
was  a  war  for  the  rights  of  sailors,  the  freedom  of 
the  high-seas,  and  the  grand  and  never  thread:worn 
principles  of  liberty. 

So  wide -spread  had  been  the  patriotism  of  our 
citizens  during  the  revolutionary  war  that  our  only 
frigates,  except  those  made  up  of  aged  merchant- 
vessels,  had  been  built  by  private  subscription;  but 
now  the  government  was  awake,  alert,  and  able. 

To  take  just  a  glance  at  the  condition  of  affairs 
that  led  up  to  this  is  of  great  interest. 

So  far  back  as  the  year  1798  the  impositions  of 
Great  Britain  upon  our  merchantmen  are  on  record, 
and  on  November  i6th  of  that  year  they  culminated 
in  a  deliberate  outrage  and  insult  to  our  flag. 

The  U.  S.  ship  of  war  Baltimore,  of  20  guns,  was 
overhauled  by  a  British  squadron,  and  five  Amer 
ican  seamen  were  impressed  from  the  crew.  At  this 
time  we  were  engaged  in  the  quasi-war  with  France, 
during  which  the  Constellation,  under  Captain  Trux- 
ton,  captured  the  French  frigate  LInsurgent,  of 
54  guns.  On  February  ist,  1800,  a  year  after  the 
first  action,  the  same  vessel,  under  the  same  com 
mander,  captured  La  Vengeance,  of  54  guns.  On 
October  i2th  of  the  same  year  the  U,  S.  frigate 
Boston  captured  the  French  corvette  Le  Berceau. 
Minor  actions  between  the  French  privateers  and 


4  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE  WAR   OF    l8l2 

our  merchantmen  occurred  constantly.  We  lost  but 
one  of  our  national  vessels,  however — the  schooner 
Retaliation,  captured  by  two  French  frigates. 

England  was  protecting  the  Barbary  pirates  in 
the"  Mediterranean  at  this  time,  in  order  to  keep  out 
competitive  commerce  —  a  fine  bit  of  business ! 
Europe  and  America  bought  immunity. 

On  June  loth,  i8oi,war  was  declared, however,  by 
the  Bashaw  of  Tripoli  against  the  United  States, 
because  we  failed  to  accede  to  his  demands  for 
larger  tribute,  and  a  brief  summary  of  the  conduct  of 
this  war  will  show  plainly  that  here  our  officers  had 
chances  to  distinguish  themselves,  and  the  American 
seamen  won  distinction  in  foreign  waters. 

Captain  Bainbridge,  in  command  of  the  frigate 
Philadelphia,  late  in  August,  1803,  captured  off  the 
Cape  de  Gatt  a  Moorish  cruiser,  and  retook  her 
prize,  an  American  brig.  About  two  months  later 
the  Philadelphia,  in  chase  of  one  of  the  corsairs,  ran 
on  a  reef  of  rocks  under  the  guns  of  a  battery,  and 
after  four  hours'  action  Bainbridge  was  compelled 
to  strike  his  flag  to  the  Tripolitans.  For  months, 
now,  it  was  the  single  aim  of  the  American  squad 
ron  under  Preble  to  destroy  the  Philadelphia,  in 
order  to  prevent  her  being  used  against  the  United 
States,  and  on  February  i5th,  1804,  this  was  success 
fully  accomplished  by  Lieutenant  Stephen  Decatur 
and  seventy  volunteers,  who  entered  the  harbor  on 
the  ketch  Intrepid,  set  fire  to  the  Philadelphia,  and 
escaped. 


INTRODUCTION  5 

All  through  August  Treble's  squadron  hovered 
about  the  harbor  of  Tripoli,  and  bombarded  the 
town  on  four  separate  occasions.  On  June  3d, 
1805,  he  arranged  a  peace  with  the  Tripolitans,  and 
two  days  later  Bainbridge  and  the  American  pris 
oners  were  liberated.  But  the  bashaw  could  not 
control  the  piratical  cruisers  who  made  his  harbor  a 
rendezvous,  and  in  September  hostilities  were  again 
commenced,  during  which  occurred  the  sad  acci 
dent,  the  premature  blowing  up  of  the  fire  ship  In 
trepid,  by  which  the  navy  lost  Captain  Richard 
Somers,  one  of  its  bravest  officers,  two  lieutenants, 
and  ten  seamen. 

But  to  return  to  the  relations  existing  between 
America  and  England.  A  crisis  was  fast  approach 
ing.  Off  the  shore  of  Maryland  on  June  22d,  1807, 
the  crowning  outrage  attending  England's  self- 
assumed  "  right  of  search "  took  place,  when  the 
British  sloop  of  war  Leopard,  50  guns,  fired  upon  the 
Chesapeake,  36  guns,  which  vessel,  under  command 
of  Captain  Barron,  had  just  shipped  a  green  crew, 
and  could  return,  owing  to  her  unprepared  con 
dition,  but  one  shot  to  the  Englishman's  broadside. 
Barron  hauled  down  his  flag,  and  had  to  allow 
himself  to  be  searched  by  the  orders  of  Captain 
Humphries,  commander  of  the  Leopard,  and  four 
American-born  seamen  were  taken  out  of  his  crew 
and  sent  on  board  the  Englishman.  It  was  claimed 
by  Captain  Humphries  that  three  of  these  men  were 
deserters  from  the  British  frigate  Melampus.  Al- 


6  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE  WAR  OF    l8l2 

though  the  Chesapeake  had  hauled  down  her  flag 
and  surrendered,  the  Leopard  paid  no  attention  to 
this,  and  sailed  away,  leaving  Barren  with  three  men 
killed  and  eighteen  wounded,  and  his  ship  badly 
damaged  in  hull,  spars,  and  rigging.  Barren  was 
censured  by  a  court  of  inquiry  and  suspended  from 
his  command.  Looking  at  this  sentence  dispas 
sionately,  it  was  most  unjust. 

But  the  indignation  that  was  felt  throughout  the 
country  over  this  affair  wrought  the  temper  of  the 
people  to  a  fever-heat.  Congress  passed  resolutions, 
and  the  President  of  the  United  States  issued  a 
proclamation,  forbidding  all  British  armed  vessels 
from  entering  the  ports  of  the  United  States,  and 
prohibiting  all  inhabitants  of  the  United  States 
from  furnishing  them  with  supplies  of  any  descrip 
tion. 

Great  Britain's  disavowal  of  the  act  of  Admiral 
Berkeley  (under  whose  command  Captain  Hum 
phries  had  acted)  was  lukewarm,  and  the  Admiral's 
trial  was  something  of  a  farce,  and  gave  little  satis 
faction  to  America. 

Napoleon  at  about  this  time  had  begun  his  sense 
less  closing  of  French  ports  to  American  vessels, 
and  once  more  the  French  cruisers  apparently  con 
sidered  all  Yankee  craft  their  proper  prey.  They 
would  interrupt  and  take  from  them  stores,  water, 
or  whatever  they  considered  necessary,  without  re 
muneration  or  apology.  As  the  English  were  taking 
our  seamen  and  showing  absolute  contempt  for  our 


INTRODUCTION  7 

flag  wherever  found,  the  condition  of  our  merchant 
marine  was  most  precarious.  No  vessel  felt  secure 
upon  the  high  seas,  and  yet  the  English  merchant 
ships  continued  to  ply  their  trade  with  us. 

On  May  ist,  1810,  all  French  and  English  vessels 
of  any  description  were  prohibited  from  entering 
the  ports  of  the  United  States.  On  June  24th  of 
this  year  the  British  sloop  of  war  Moselle  fired  at  the 
U.  S.  brig  Vixen,  off  the  Bahamas,  but  fortunately 
did  no  damage.  Another  blow  to  American  com 
merce  just  at  this  period  was  the  closing  of  the  ports 
of  Prussia  to  American  products  and  ships.  But  an 
event  which  took  place  on  May  i6th,  1811,  had  an 
unexpected  termination  that  turned  all  eyes  to  Eng 
land.  The  British  frigate  Guerriere  was  one  of  a 
fleet  of  English  vessels  hanging  about  our  coasts, 
and  cruising  mainly  along  the  New  Jersey  and  Long 
Island  shores.  Commodore  Rodgers  was  proceed 
ing  from  Annapolis  to  New  York  in  the  President, 
44  guns,  when  the  news  was  brought  to  him  by  a 
coasting  vessel  that  a  young  man,  a  native  of  New 
Jersey,  had  been  taken  from  an  American  brig  in 
the  vicinity  of  Sandy  Hook,  and  had  been  carried 
off  by  a  frigate  supposed  to  be  the  Guerriere.  On 
the  1 6th,  about  noon,  Rodgers  discovered  a  sail 
standing  towards  him.  She  was  made  out  to  be  a 
man-of-war,  and  concluding  that  she  was  the  Guer- 
riere,  the  commodore  resolved  to  speak  to  her,  and, 
to  quote  from  a  contemporary,  "  he  hoped  he  might 
prevail  upon  her  commander  to  release  the  im- 


8  NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE  WAR  OF    l8l2 

pressed  young  man  "  (what  arguments  he  intended 
to  use  are  not  stated).  But  no  sooner  had  the 
stranger  perceived  the  President,  whose  colors  were 
flying,  than  she  wore  and  stood  to  the  southward. 
Rodgers  took  after  her,  and  by  evening  was  close 
enough  to  make  out  that  she  was  beyond  all  doubt 
an  English  ship.  But  owing  to  the  dusk  and  thick 
weather  it  was  impossible  to  count  her  broadside,  or 
to  make  out  distinctly  what  was  the  character  of  the 
flag  that  at  this  late  hour  she  had  hoisted  at  her 
peak.  So  he  determined  to  lay  his  vessel  alongside 
of  her  within  speaking  distance,  and  find  out  some 
thing  definite.  The  strange  sail  apparently  wished 
to  avoid  this  if  possible,  and  tacked  and  manoeuvred 
incessantly  in  efforts  to  escape.  At  twenty  minutes 
past  eight  the  President,  being  a  little  forward  of 
the  weather  beam  of  the  chase,  and  within  a  hun 
dred  yards  of  her,  Rodgers  called  through  his  trum 
pet  with  the  usual  hail,  "  What  ship  is  that  ?"  No 
answer  was  given,  but  the  question  was  repeated 
from  the  other  vessel  in  turn.  Rodgers  did  not  an 
swer,  and  hailed  again.  To  his  intense  surprise  a 
shot  was  fired  into  the  President,  and  this  was  the 
only  response.  A  great  deal  of  controversy  resulted 
from  the  subsequent  happenings.  The  English 
deny  having  fired  the  first  gun,  and  assert  that 
Rodgers  was  the  offender,  as  a  gun  was  discharged 
(without  orders)  from  the  American  vessel  almost  at 
the  same  moment.  Now  a  brisk  action  commenced 
with  broadsides  and  musketry.  But  the  commo- 


INTRODUCTION 


dore,  noticing  that  he  was  having  to  deal  with  a 
very  inferior  force,  ceased  firing,  after  about  ten 
minutes  of  exchanging  shots.  He  was  premature 
in  this,  however,  as  the  other  vessel  immediately  re 
newed  her  fire,  and  the  foremast  of  the  President 
was  badly  injured  by  two  thirty-two-pound  shot.  By 
this  time  the  wind  had  blown  up  fresh,  and  there 
was  a  heavy  sea ;  but  notwithstanding  this  fact  and 
the  growing  darkness,  a  well-directed  broadside  from 
the  President  silenced  the  other's  fire  completely. 
Rodgers  approached  again,  and  to  his  hail  this  time 
there  was  given  some  reply.  Owing  to  his  being  to 
windward,  he  did  not  catch  the  words,  although  he 
understood  from  them  that  his  antagonist  was  a 
British  ship.  All  night  long  Rodgers  lay  hove  to 
under  the  lee  of  the  stranger,  displaying  lights,  and 
ready  at  any  moment  to  respond  to  any  call  for  as 
sistance,  as  it  had  been  perceived  that  the  smaller 
vessel  was  badly  crippled. 

At  daylight  the  President  bore  down  to  within 
speaking  distance  and  an  easy  sail,  and  Rodgers  sent 
out  his  first  cutter,  under  command  of  Lieutenant 
Creighton,  to  learn  the  name  of  the  ship  and  her 
commander,  and  with  instructions  to  ascertain  what 
damage  she  had  received,  and  to  "  regret  the  neces 
sity  which  had  led  to  such  an  unhappy  result." 
Lieutenant  Creighton  returned  with  the  informa 
tion  that  the  British  captain  declined  accepting  any 
assistance,  and  that  the  vessel  was  His  Britannic 
Majesty's  sloop  of  war  Little  Belt,  18  guns.  She  had 


10  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE   WAR   OF    l8l2 

nine  men  killed  and  twenty-two  wounded.  No  one 
was  killed  on  board  the  President,  and  only  a  cabin- 
boy  had  been  wounded  in  the  arm  by  a  splinter. 

The  account  given  to  his  government  by  Captain 
Bingham,  of  the  Little  Belt,  gives  the  lie  direct  to 
the  sworn  statement  of  the  affair,  confirmed  by  all 
the  officers  and  crew  of  the  President,  an  account, 
by-the-way,  that  after  a  long  and  minute  investigation 
was  sustained  by  the  American  courts.  It  was  now 
past  doubting  that  open  war  would  shortly  follow 
between  this  country  and  England.  Preparations 
immediately  began  in  every  large  city  to  outfit  pri 
vateers,  and  the  navy-yards  rang  with  hammers,  and 
the  recruiting  officers  were  besieged  by  hordes  of 
sailormen  anxious  to  serve  a  gun  and  seek  revenge. 

Owing  to  circumstances,  the  year  of  1812,  that 
gave  the  name  to  the  war  of  the  next  three  years, 
found  the  country  in  a  peculiar  condition.  Under 
the  "gunboat  system  "  of  Mr.  Jefferson,  who  believed 
in  harbor  protection,  and  trusted  to  escape  war,  an 
act  had  been  passed  in  1805  which  almost  threat 
ened  annihilation  of  a  practical  navy.  The  construc 
tion  of  twenty-five  gunboats  authorized  by  this  bill 
had  been  followed,  from  time  to  time,  by  the  build 
ing  of  more  of  them  under  the  mistaken  idea  that 
this  policy  was  a  national  safeguard.  They  would 
have  been  of  great  use  as  a  branch  of  coast  fortifica 
tion  at  that  time,  it  may  be  true,  but  they  were  abso 
lutely  of  no  account  in  the  prosecution  of  a  war  at 
sea.  Up  to  the  year  1811  in  the  neighborhood  of 


INTRODUCTION  1 1 

two  hundred  of  these  miserable  vessels  had  been  con 
structed,  and  they  lay  about  the  harbors  in  various 
conditions  of  uselessness. 

From  an  official  statement  it  appears  that  there 
were  but  three  first -class  frigates  in  our  navy,  and 
that  but  five  vessels  of  any  description  were  in  con 
dition  to  go  to  sea.  They  were  the  President,  44 
guns ;  the  United  States,  44  guns ;  the  Constitution, 
44  guns ;  the  Essex,  32  guns ;  and  the  Congress,  36 
guns.  All  of  our  sea-going  craft  taken  together  were 
but  ten  in  number,  and  seven  of  these  were  of  the 
second  class  and  of  inferior  armament.  There  was 
not  a  single  ship  that  did  not  need  extensive  repairs, 
and  two  of  the  smaller  frigates,  the  New  York  and 
the  Boston,  were  condemned  upon  examination.  The 
navy  was  in  a  deplorable  state,  and  no  money  forth 
coming. 

But  the  session  of  Congress  known  as  the  "  war 
session"  altered  this  state  of  affairs,  and  in  the  act 
of  March  I3th,  1812,  we  find  the  repudiation  of  the 
gunboat  policy,  and  the  ridiculous  error  advanced, 
to  our  shame  be  it  said,  by  some  members  of  Con 
gress,  that  "  in  creating  a  navy  we  are  only  building 
ships  for  Great  Britain,"  was  cast  aside.  Not  only 
did  the  act  provide  for  putting  the  frigates  into  com 
mission  and  preparing  them  for  actual  service,  but 
two  hundred  thousand  dollars  per  annum  was  ap 
propriated  for  three  years  for  ship  timber.  The 
gunboats  were  laid  up  "for  the  good  of  the  public 
service,"  and  disappeared.  Up  to  this  period  all  the 


12  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE  WAR   OF   l8l2 

acts  of  Congress  in  favor  of  the  navy  had  been  but 
to  make  hasty  preparations  of  a  few  vessels  of  war 
to  meet  the  pressure  of  some  emergency,  but  no  per 
manent  footing  had  been  established.  The  conduct 
and  the  result  of  the  war  with  Tripoli  had  not  been 
such  as  to  make  the  American  navy  popular,  despite 
the  individual  brave  deeds  that  had  taken  place 
and  the  respect  for  the  flag  that  had  been  enforced 
abroad.  But  the  formation  of  a  "  naval  committee  " 
was  a  step  in  the  right  direction.  There  was  a  crisis 
to  be  met,  the  country  was  awake  to  the  necessity, 
and  the  feelings  of  patriotism  had  aroused  the  author 
ities  to  a  pitch  of  action.  Many  men,  the  ablest  in 
the  country,  were  forced  into  public  life  from  their 
retirement,  and  a  combination  was  presented  in  the 
House  of  Representatives  and  in  the  Senate  that 
promised  well  for  the  conduct  of  affairs.  The  Re 
publican  party  saw  that  there  was  no  more  sense 
in  the  system  of  restriction,  and  that  the  only 
way  to  redress  the  wrongs  of  our  sailors  was  by 
war. 

Langdon  Cheves  was  appointed  chairman  of  this 
Committee  of  Naval  Affairs  of  the  Twelfth  Congress, 
and  took  hold  of  the  work  assigned  to  him  with  en 
ergy  and  judgment.  There  was  some  slight  oppo 
sition  given  by  people  who  doubted  our  power  and 
resources  to  wage  war  successfully  against  Great  Brit 
ain,  but  this  opposition  was  overwhelmed  completely 
at  the  outset.  The  report  of  the  naval  committee 
shows  that  the  naval  establishments  of  other  coun- 


INTRODUCTION  13 

tries  had  been  carefully  looked  into,  and  experienced 
and  intelligent  officers  had  been  called  upon  for  as 
sistance  ;  that  the  needs  and  resources  of  the  coun 
try  had  been  accurately  determined,  and  the  result 
was  that  the  committee  expressed  the  opinion  "  that 
it  was  the  true  policy  of  the  United  States  to  build  up 
a  navy  establishment  as  the  cheapest,  the  safest,  and  the 
best  protection  to  their  seacoast  and  to  their  commerce, 
and  that  such  an  establishment  was  inseparably  con 
nected  with  the  future  prosperity,  safety,  and  glory  of 
the  country'' 

The  bill  which  was  introduced  and  drafted  by  the 
committee  recommended  that  the  force  to  be  cre 
ated  should  consist  of  frigates  and  sloops  of  war  to 
be  built  at  once,  and  that  those  already  in  commis 
sion  be  overhauled  and  refitted.  To  quote  from  the 
first  bill  for  the  increase  of  the  navy,  communicated 
to  the  House  of  Representatives  September  lyth, 
1811  (which  antedated  the  final  act  of  March  i3th, 
1812),  Mr.  Cheves  says  for  the  committee :  "We  beg 
leave  to  recommend  that  all  the  vessels  of  war  of  the 
United  States  not  now  in  service,  which  are  worthy 
of  repair,  be  immediately  repaired,  fitted  out,  and  put 
into  actual  service ;  that  ten  additional  frigates,  aver 
aging  38  guns,  be  built;  that  a  competent  sum  of 
money  be  appropriated  for  the  purchase  of  a  stock 
of  timber,  and  that  a  dock  for  repairing  the  vessels 
of  war  of  the  United  States  be  established  in  some 
central  and  convenient  place."  There  was  no  dock 
in  the  country  at  this  date,  and  vessels  had  to  be 


14  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE   WAR   OF    l8l2 

"hove  down"  to  repair  their  hulls — an  expensive 
and  lengthy  process. 

A  large  number  of  experiments  had  also  been 
made  during  this  year  in  reference  to  the  practi 
cal  use  of  the  torpedo.  They  were  conducted  in 
the  city  and  harbor  of  New  York,  under  the  super 
vision  of  Oliver  Walcott,  John  Kent,  Cadwallader 
B.  Golden,  John  Garnet,  and  Jonathan  Williams. 
Suggestions  were  also  made  for  the  defence  of 
vessels  threatened  by  torpedo  attack  in  much  the 
same  method  that  is  employed  to  this  date — by  nets 
and  booms.  Mr.  Golden  says  in  a  letter  addressed 
to  Paul  Hamilton,  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  in  refer 
ence  to  the  experiments  with  Mr.  Fulton's  torpedoes, 
"  I  cannot  but  think  that  if  the  dread  of  torpedoes 
were  to  produce  no  other  effect  than  to  induce 
every  hostile  vessel  of  war  which  enters  our  ports 
to  protect  herself  in  a  way  in  which  the  Argus  (the 
vessel  experimented  with)  was  protected,  torpedoes 
will  be  no  inconsiderable  auxiliaries  in  the  defence 
of  our  harbors."  Strange  to  say,  a  boom  torpedo 
rigged  to  the  end  of  a  boom  attached  to  the  prow  of 
a  cutter  propelled  by  oars  was  tried,  and  is  to  this 
day  adopted  in  our  service,  in  connection  with  fast 
steam-launches.  All  this  tends  to  show  the  ad 
vancing  interest  in  naval  warfare.  Paul  Hamilton 
suggested,  in  a  letter  dated  December  3d,  181 1,  that 
"  a  naval  force  of  twelve  sails  of  the  line  (74's)  and 
twenty  well  -  constructed  frigates,  including  those 
already  in  commission,  would  be  ample  to  protect 


INTRODUCTION  1 5 

the  coasting  trade";  but  there  was  no  provision  in 
the  bill  as  finally  accepted,  and  no  authority  given 
for  the  construction  of  any  line  of  battle  ships,  al 
though  Mr.  Cheves  referred  in  his  speech  to  the 
letter  from  Secretary  Hamilton.  Plans  were  also 
made  this  year  to  form  a  naval  hospital,  a  .much- 
needed  institution. 

When  war  was  declared  by  Congress  against 
Great  Britain,  on  June  i8th,  1812,  and  proclaimed 
by  the  President  of  the  United  States  the  following 
day,  the  number  of  vessels,  exclusive  of  those  pro 
jected  and  building,  was  as  follows : 

FRIGATES 

Rated  Mounting  Commanders 

Constitution  ....  44  56  Capt.  Hull 

United  States   ...  44  56  Capt.  Decatur 

President 44  56  Com.  Rodgers 

Chesapeake  ....  36  44  Capt.  Evans 

New  York    ....  36  44 

Constellation     ...  36  44  Capt.  Stewart 

Congress 36  44  Capt.  Smith 

Boston 32 

Essex 32  Capt.  Porter 

Adams 32 

CORVETTES 
John  Adams     ...    26  Capt.  Ludlow 

SLOOPS  OF  WAR 

Wasp 18  18  Capt.  Jones 

Hornet 18  18  Capt.  Lawrence 

BRIGS 

Siren 16  Capt.  Carroll 

Argus 1 6  Capt.  Crane 

Oneida 16  Capt.  Woolsey 


16  NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE  WAR  OF   l8l2 

SCHOONERS 

Rated  Commanders 

Vixen 14  Lieut.  Gadsden 

Nautilus 14  Lieut.  Sinclair 

Enterprise    ....  14  Capt.  Blakely 

Viper 10  Capt.  Bainbridge 

BOMB-KETCHES 

Vengeance  AZtna 

Spitfire  Vesuvius 

As  we  have  stated  before,  the  Boston,  that  was 
burned  afterwards  at  Washington,  never  put  to  sea, 
and  the  New  York  was  a  worthless  hulk. 

The  Constitution,  the  United  States,  and  the 
Constellation  were  built  in  the  year  1797,  the  Con- 
stitution  at  Boston,  the  United  States  at  Philadel 
phia,  and  the  Constellation  at  Baltimore.  They  had 
been  built  in  the  most  complete  manner,  and  it  might 
be  of  interest  to  give  some  figures  in  connection  with 
the  construction  of  these  vessels,  thus  forming  an 
idea  of  how  they  compare  with  the  tremendous  and 
expensive  fighting  -  machines  of  to-day.  The  first 
cost  of  the  Constitution^^  $302,718.  Her  annual 
expenses  when  in  commission  were  $100,000.  Her 
pay-roll  per  month  was  in  the  neighborhood  of 
$5000.  There  had  been  spent  in  repairs  upon  the 
Constitution  from  October  ist,  1802,  to  October  ist, 
1811,  the  sum  of  $302,582 — almost  as  much  as  her 
original  cost,  it  is  thus  seen  ;  but  upon  the  outbreak 
of  the  war  only  $5658  had  to  be  spent  upon  her  to 
fit  her  for  sea.  The  first  cost  of  a  small  vessel 


INTRODUCTION  I? 

like  the  Wasp,  carrying  18  guns,  was  $60,000;  the 
annual  expense  in  commission,  $38,000. 

Although  the  Constitution  was  in  such  good 
shape,  the  Chesapeake  and  the  Constellation  were 
not  seaworthy,  and  required  $120,000  apiece  to  be 
expended  on  them  before  they  would  be  consid 
ered  ready  for  service. 

An  American  44-gun  frigate  carried  about  400 
men.  The  pay  appears  ridiculously  small,  captains 
receiving  but  $100;  masters -commanclant,  $75  a 
month;  lieutenants'  pay  was  raised  from  $40  to  $60. 
Midshipmen  drew  $19,  an  ordinary  seaman  $10, 
and  a  private  of  marines  but  $6  a  month. 

A  44-gun  frigate  was  about  142  feet  long,  38  feet 
8  inches  in  breadth,  and  drew  from  17  to  23  feet 
of  water,  according  to  her  loading.  An  i8-gun  sloop 
of  war  was  between  no  and  122  feet  in  length,  and 
drew  1 5  feet  of  water. 

At  the  time  of  the  declaration  of  war  the  officers 
holding  captains' commissions  were:  Alexander  Mur 
ray,  John  Rodgers,  James  Barren  (suspended),  Will 
iam  Bainbridge,  Hugh  G.Campbell,  Stephen  Decatur, 
Thomas  Tingey,  Charles  Stewart,  Isaac  Hull,  Isaac 
Chauncey,  John  Shaw,  John  Smith — there  was  one 
vacancy.  On  the  pay-rolls  as  masters-commandant 
we  find  David  Porter,  Samuel  Evans,  Jacob  Jones, 
and  James  Lawrence. 

It  is  hard  to  imagine  nowadays  the  amount  of  bit 
terness,  the  extreme  degree  of  hatred,  that  had  grown 
up  between  America  and  Great  Britain.  Before  the 


1 8  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE   WAR  OF    1 8 12 

outbreak  of  hostilities,  smarting  under  the  defeats  of 
'76  and  the  struggle  of  the  following  years,  with  few 
exceptions  English  officers  burned  to  show  their  con 
tempt  for  the  service  of  the  new  country  whose  flag 
was  being  sent  about  the  world.  During  the  pres 
ence  of  the  American  fleets  under  Preble  and  Bain- 
bridge  in  the  Mediterranean,  insults  were  frequent 
ly  forced  upon  them  by  the  English.  An  anecdote 
which  brings  in  one  of  our  nation's  heroes  will  show 
plainly  to  what  extent  this  feeling  existed.  From  an 
American  vessel  of  war  anchored  at  Malta  a  num 
ber  of  the  junior  officers  had  obtained  shore  leave ; 
among  them  was  a  tall,  handsome  lad,  the  brother 
of  the  commander  of  the  Philadelphia.  Orders  had 
been  given  for  the  young  gentlemen  to  mind  their 
own  affairs,  to  keep  close  together,  and  to  pay  no  at 
tention  to  the  treatment  they  might  receive  from  the 
officers  of  the  English  regiments  or  navy.  Owing 
to  the  custom  then  holding,  the  man  who  had  not 
fought  a  duel  or  killed  a  man  in  "honorable"  meet 
ing  was  an  exception,  even  in  our  service.  There 
was  no  punishment  for  duelling  in  either  the  army 
or  navy,  even  if  one  should  kill  a  member  of  his 
own  mess,  so  there  may  be  some  excuse  for  the 
disobedience,  or,  better,  disregard,  of  the  order  given 
to  the  midshipmen  before  they  landed.  There  was 
an  English  officer  at  Malta,  a  celebrated  duellist,  who 
stated  to  a  number  of  his  friends,  when  he  was  in 
formed  that  the  American  young  gentlemen  had 
landed,  that  he  would  "bag  one  of  the  Yankees 


INTRODUCTION  19 

before  ten  the  next  morning."  He  ran  across  them 
in  the  lobby  of  a  playhouse,  and,  rudely  jostling  the 
tallest  and  apparently  the  oldest,  he  was  surprised 
at  having  his  pardon  begged,  as  if  the  fault  had  been 
the  other's.  So  he  repeated  his  offence,  and  em 
phasized  it  by  thrusting  his  elbow  in  "the  Yankee's  " 
face. 

This  was  too  much.  The  tall  midshipman  whipped 
out  his  card,  the  Englishman  did  likewise.  A  few 
words  and  it  was  all  arranged.  "  At  nine  the  next 
morning,  on  the  beach  below  the  fortress."  As  he 
turned,  the  middy  saw  one  of  his  senior  lieutenants 
standing  near  him.  He  knew  that  it  would  be  diffi 
cult  to  get  ashore  in  the  morning,  and  he  made  up  his 
mind  that,  as  the  chances  were  he  would  never  return 
to  his  ship  at  all,  he  would  not  go  back  to  her  that 
night.  But  what  was  his  dismay  when  the  officer 
approached  and  ordered  him  and  all  of  his  party  to 
repair  on  board  their  vessel.  Of  course  the  rest  of 
the  youngsters  knew  what  had  occurred,  and  they 
longed  to  see  how  their  comrade  would  get  out  of 
the  predicament.  He  had  to  be  on  shore!  But  as 
he  sat  in  the  stern-sheets  the  lieutenant,  not  so  many 
years  his  senior,  bent  forward.  "I  shall  go  ashore 
with  you  at  nine  o'clock  to-morrow,  if  you  will  allow 
me  that  honor,"  he  said,  quietly.  Now  this  young 
officer  was  a  hero  with  the  lads  in  the  steerage,  and 
the  middy's  courage  rose. 

At  nine  o'clock  the  next  morning  he  stood  in  a 
sheltered  little  stretch  of  beach  with  a  pistol  in  his 


20  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF   THE   WAR   OF    l8l2 

hand,  and  at  the  word  "  Fire !"  he  shot  the  English 
bully  through  the  heart  The  midshipman's  name 
was  Joseph  Bainbridge,  a  brother  of  the  Bainbridge 
of  Constitution  fame,  and  his  second  upon  this  occa 
sion  was  Stephen  Decatur. 

This  encounter  was  but  one  of  many  such  that 
took  place  on  foreign  stations  between  American 
and  English  officers.  The  latter  at  last  became  more 
respectful  of  the  Yankees'  feelings,  be  it  recorded. 

The  following  series  of  articles  is  not  intended  as 
a  history  of  the  navy,  but  as  a  mere  account  of  the 
most  prominent  actions  in  which  the  vessels  of  the 
regular  service  participated.  Two  affairs  in  which 
American  privateers  took  part  are  introduced,  but  of 
a  truth  the  doings  of  Yankee  privateersmen  would 
make  a  history  in  themselves. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  names  of  several  vessels 
occur  frequently,  and  we  can  see  how  the  Constitu 
tion  won  for  herself  the  proudest  title  ever  given  to  a 
ship — "  Old  Ironsides  " — and  how  the  victories  at  sea 
united  the  American  nation  as  one  great  family  in 
rejoicing  or  in  grief.  To  this  day  there  will  be  found 
songs  and  watchwords  in  the  forecastles  of  our  steel 
cruisers  that  were  started  at  this  glorious  period. 
"  Remember  the  Essex!"  "  Don't  give  up  the  ship!" 
"  May  we  die  on  deck!"  are  sayings  that  have  been 
handed  down,  and  let  us  hope  that  they  will  live 
forever. 


THE  THREE-DAYS  CHASE  OF  THE  -CONSTITUTION" 
[July  i7th,  i8th,  igth,  1812] 


MEDAI.    PRESENTED    BY    CONGRESS 
CAPTAIN    ISAAC    HULL 


IF  during  the  naval  war  of  1812  any  one  man 
won  laurels  because  he  understood  his  ship, 
and  thus  triumphed  over  odds,  that  man  was 
Captain  Hull,  and  the  ship  was  the  old  Constitution. 

Returning  from  a  mission  to  Europe  during  the 
uncertain,  feverish  days  that  preceded  the  declara 
tion  of  war  between  England  and  America,  Hull 
had  drawn  into  the  Chesapeake  to  outfit  for  a  cruise. 
He  had  experienced  a  number  of  exciting  moments 
in  European  waters,  for  everything  was  in  a  turmoil 
and  every  sail  suspicious — armed  vessels  approached 
one  another  like  dogs  who  show  their  fangs. 

Although  we  were  at  peace,  on  more  than  one 
occasion  Hull  had  called  his  men  to  quarters,  fear 
ing  mischief.  Once  he  did  so  in  an  English  port, 
for  he  well  remembered  the  affair  of  the  Leopard 
and  the  Chesapeake. 

At  Annapolis  he  shipped  a  new  crew,  and  on 
July  1 2th  he  sailed  around  the  capes  and  made  out 
to  sea.  Five  days  later,  when  out  of  sight  of  land, 
sailing  with  a  light  breeze  from  the  northeast,  four 
sail  were  discovered  to  the  north,  heading  to  the 
westward.  An  hour  later  a  fifth  sail  was  seen  to 
the  northward  and  eastward.  Before  sunset  it  could 
be  declared  positively  that  the  strangers  were  vessels 


24  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE  WAR   OF   l8l2 

of  war,  and  without  doubt  English.  The  wind  was 
fair  for  the  nearest  one  to  close,  but  before  she  came 
within  three  miles  the  breeze  that  had  brought  her 
up  died  out,  and  after  a  calm  that  lasted  but  a  few 
minutes  the  light  wind  came  from  the  southward, 
giving  the  Constitution  the  weather-gage. 

And  now  began  a  test  of  seamanship  and  sailing 
powers,  the  like  of  which  has  no  equal  in  history  for 
prolonged  excitement.  Captain  Hull  was  almost 
alone  in  his  opinion  that  the  Constitution  was  a  fast 
sailer.  But  it  must  be  remembered,  however,  that  a 
vessel's  speed  depends  upon  her  handling,  and  with 
Isaac  Hull  on  deck  she  had  the  best  of  it. 

All  through  the  night,  which  was  not  dark,  sig 
nals  and  lights  flashed  from  the  vessels  to  leeward. 
The  Constitution,  it  is  claimed  by  the  English,  was 
taken  for  one  of  their  own  ships.  She  herself  had 
shown  the  private  signal  of  the  day,  thinking  per 
haps  that  the  vessel  near  to  hand  might  be  an 
American. 

Before  daybreak  three  rockets  arose  from  the 
ship  astern  of  the  Constitution,  and  at  the  same  time 
she  fired  two  guns.  She  was  H.  M.  S.  Guerriere, 
and,  odd  to  relate,  before  long  she  was  to  strike  her 
flag  to  the  very  frigate  that  was  now  so  anxious  to 
escape  from  her.  Now,  to  the  consternation  of  all, 
as  daylight  broadened,  three  sail  were  discovered  on 
the  starboard  quarter  and  three  more  astern.  Soon 
another  one  was  spied  to  the  westward.  By  nine 
o'clock,  when  the  mists  had  lifted,  the  Constitution 


THREE -DAYS  CHASE   OF  THE  "CONSTITUTION"     25 

had  to  leeward  and  astern  of  her  seven  sail  in  sight 
— two  frigates,  a  ship  of  the  line,  two  smaller  frigates, 
a  brig,  and  a  schooner.  There  was  no  doubt  as  to 
who  they  were,  for  in  the  light  breeze  the  British 
colors  tossed  at  their  peaks.  It  was  a  squadron  of 
Captain  Sir  Philip  Vere  Broke,  and  he  would  have 
given  his  right  hand  to  have  been  able  to  lessen  the 
distance  between  him  and  the  chase.  But,  luckily 
for  "  Old  Ironsides,"  all  of  the  Englishmen  were  be 
yond  gunshot.  Hull  hoisted  out  his  boats  ahead, 
and  they  began  the  weary  work  of  towing ;  at  the 
same  time,  stern-chasers  were  run  out  over  the  after- 
bulwarks  and  through  the  cabin  windows.  It  fell 
dead  calm,  and  before  long  all  of  the  English  vessels 
had  begun  to  tow  also.  But  the  Constitution  had 
the  best  position  for  this  kind  of  work,  as  she  could 
have  smashed  the  boats  of  an  approaching  vessel, 
while  her  own  were  protected  by  her  hull.  One  of 
the  nearest  frigates,  the  Shannon,  soon  opened  fire, 
but  her  shot  fell  short,  and  she  gave  it  up  as  useless. 
At  this  moment  a  brilliant  idea  occurred  to  Lieuten 
ant  Morris  of  the  Constitution.  It  had  often  been  the 
custom  in  our  service  to  warp  ships  to  their  anchor 
age  by  means  of  kedge-anchors  when  in  a  narrow 
channel;  by  skilful  handling  they  had  sometimes 
maintained  a  speed  of  three  knots  an  hour.  Hull 
himself  gives  the  credit  for  this  idea  to  Lieutenant 
Charles  Morris. 

All  the  spare  hawsers  and  rope  that  would  stand 
the  strain  were  spliced  together,  and  a  line  almost  a 


26  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE   WAR  OF    l8l2 

mile  in  length  was  towed  ahead  of  the  ship  and  a 
kedge-anchor  dropped.  At  once  the  Constitution 
began  to  walk  away  from  her  pursuers  —  as  she 
tripped  one  kedge  she  commenced  to  haul  upon 
another.  Now  for  the  first  time  Hull  displayed  his 
colors  and  fired  a  gun ;  but  it  was  not  long  before 
the  British  discovered  the  Yankee  trick  and  were 
trying  it  themselves. 

A  slight  breeze  happily  sprang  up,  which  the 
Constitution  caught  first  and  forged  ahead  of  the 
leading  vessel,  that  had  fifteen  or  sixteen  boats  tow- 
ing  away  at  her.  Soon  it  fell  calm  again,  and  the 
towing  and  kedging  were  resumed.  But  the  Bel- 
videra,  headed  by  a  flotilla  of  rowboats,  gained  once 
more,  and  Hull  sent  overboard  some  twenty-four 
hundred  gallons  of  water  to  lighten  his  vessel.  A 
few  shots  were  exchanged  without  result.  But  with 
out  ceasing  the  wearisome  work  went  on,  and  never 
a  grumble  was  heard,  although  the  men  had  been 
on  duty  and  hard  at  work  twelve  hours  and  more. 

This  was  to  be  only  the  beginning  of  it.  .  Now 
and  then  breezes  would  spring  from  the  southward, 
and  the  tired  sailors  would  seize  the  occasion  to 
throw  themselves  on  the  deck  and  rest,  often  falling 
asleep  leaning  across  the  guns — the  crews  had  never 
left  their  quarters. 

From  eleven  o'clock  in  the  evening  until  past  mid 
night  the  breeze  held  strong  enough  to  keep  the 
Constitution  in  advance.  Then  it  fell  dead  calm 
once  more.  Captain  Hull  decided  to  give  his  men 


THREE -DAYS  CHASE   OF   THE   "CONSTITUTION"     2/ 

the  much-needed  respite;  and,  except  for  those  aloft 
and  the  man  at  the  wheel,  they  slept  at  their  posts ; 
but  at  2  A.M.  the  boats  were  out  again. 

During  this  respite  the  Guerriere  had  gained,  and 
was  off  the  lee  beam.  It  seemed  as  if  it  were  impos 
sible  to  avoid  an  action,  and  Hull  had  found  that 
two  of  his  heavy  stern-chasers  were  almost  worse 
than  useless,  as  the  blast  of  their  discharge  threat 
ened  to  blow  out  the  stern-quarters,  owing  to  the 
overhanging  of  the  wood-work  and  the  shortness  of 
the  guns.  The  soundings  had  run  from  twenty-six 
to  twenty-four  fathoms,  and  now  Hull  was  afraid  of 
getting  into  deeper  water,  where  kedging  would  be 
of  no  use. 

At  daybreak  three  of  the  enemy's  frigates  had 
crept  up  to  within  long  gunshot  on  the  lee  quarter, 
and  the  Guerriere  maintained  her  position  on  the 
beam.  The  Africa,  the  ship  of  the  line,  and  the  two 
smaller  vessels  had  fallen  far  behind.  Slowly  but 
surely  the  Belvidera  drew  ahead  of  the  Guerriere, 
and  at  last  she  was  almost  off  the  Constitutions  bow 
when  she  tacked.  Hull,  to  preserve  his  position  and 
the  advantage  of  being  to  windward,  was  obliged  to 
follow  suit.  It  must  have  been  a  wondrous  sight  at 
this  moment  to  the  unskilled  eye;  escape  would  have 
seemed  impossible,  for  the  American  was  apparently 
in  the  midst  of  the  foe.  Rapidly  approaching  her 
on  another  tack  was  the  frigate  sEolus  within  long 
range,  but  she  and  the  Constitution  passed  one  an 
other  without  firing.  The  breeze  freshening,  Hull 


28  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE  WAR  OF    l8l2 

hoisted  in  his  boats,  and  the  weary  rowers  rested 
their  strained  arms. 

All  the  English  vessels  rounded  upon  the  same 
tack  as  the  Constitution,  and  now  the  five  frigates 
had  out  all  their  kites,  and  were  masses  of  shining 
canvas  from  their  trucks  to  the  water's  edge.  Count 
ing  the  Constitution,  eleven  sail  were  in  sight,  and 
soon  a  twelfth  appeared  to  the  windward.  It  was 
evident  that  she  was  an  American  merchantman,  as 
she  threw  out  her  colors  upon  sighting  the  squad 
ron.  The  Englishmen  did  not  despatch  a  vessel  to 
pursue  her,  but  to  encourage  her  to  come  down 
to  them  they  all  flew  the  stars  and  stripes.  Hull 
straightway,  as  a  warning,  drew  down  his  own  flag 
and  set  the  English  ensign.  This  had  the  desired 
effect,  and  the  merchantman  hauled  on  the  wind 
and  made  his  best  efforts  to  escape. 

Hull  had  kept  his  sails  wet  with  hose  and  bucket, 
in  order  to  hold  the  wind,  and  by  ten  o'clock  his 
crew  had  started  cheering  and  laughing,  for  they 
were  slowly  drawing  ahead ;  the  Belvidera  was  di 
rectly  in  their  wake,  distant  almost  three  miles.  The 
other  vessels  were  scattered  to  leeward,  two  frigates 
were  on  the  lee  quarter  five  miles  away,  and  the 
Africa,  holding  the  opposite  tack,  was  hull  down  on 
the  horizon.  The  latitude  was  made  out  at  midday 
to  be  38°  47'  north,  and  the  longitude,  by  dead  reck 
oning,  73°  57'  west. 

The  wind  freshened  in  the  early  afternoon,  and, 
the  sails  being  trimmed  and  watched  closely,  Hull's 


THREE  -  DAYS  CHASE  OF  THE     "  CONSTITUTION  "     29 

claim  that  his  old  ship  was  a  stepper,  if  put  to  it,  was 
verified,  for  she  gained  two  miles  and  more  upon  the 
pursuers.  And  now  strategy  was  to  come  into  play. 
Dark,  angry-looking  clouds  and  deeper  shadows  on 
the  water  to  windward  showed  that  a  sudden  squall 
was  approaching.  It  was  plain  that  rain  was  falling 
and  would  reach  the  American  frigate  first.  The 
topmen  were  hurried  aloft,  the  sheets  and  tacks  and 
clew-lines  manned,  and  the  Constitution  held  on  with 
all  sails  set,  but  with  everything  ready  at  the  com 
mand  to  be  let  go.  As  the  rush  of  wind  and  rain 
approached  all  the  light  canvas  was  furled,  a  reef 
taken  in  the  mizzen-topsail,  and  the  ship  was  brought 
under  short  sail,  as  if  she  expected  to  be  laid  on  her 
beam  ends.  The  English  vessels  astern  observed 
this,  and  probably  expected  that  a  hard  blow  was 
going  to  follow,  for  they  let  go  and  hauled  down  as 
they  were,  without  waiting  for  the  wind  to  reach 
them.  Some  of  them  hove  to  and  began  to  reef, 
and  they  scattered  in  different  directions,  as  if  for 
safety.  But  no  sooner  had  the  rain  shrouded  the 
Constitution  than  Hull  sheeted  home,  hoisted  his 
fore  and  main  topgallant-sails,  and,  with  the  wind 
boiling  the  water  all  about  him,  he  roared  away  over 
the  sea  at  a  gait  of  eleven  knots. 

For  an  hour  the  breeze  held  strong — blowing  al 
most  half  a  gale,  in  fact — and  then  it  disappeared  to 
leeward.  A  Yankee  cheer  broke  out  in  which  the 
officers  joined,  for  the  English  fleet  was  far  down 
the  wind,  and  the  Africa  was  barely  visible.  A  few 


30  NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE   WAR  OF    l8l2 

minutes'  more  sailing,  and  the  leading  frigates  were 
hull  below  the  horizon. 

Still  they  held  in  chase  throughout  all  the  night, 
signalling  each  other  now  and  then.  At  daybreak 
all  fear  was  over;  but  the  Constitution  kept  all  sail, 
even  after  Broke's  squadron  gave  up  and  hauled  to 
the  northward  and  eastward. 

The  small  brig  that  had  been  counted  in  the  fleet 
of  the  pursuers  was  the  Nautilus,  which  had  been 
captured  by  the  English  three  or  four  days  previous 
ly.  She  was  the  first  vessel  lost  on  either  side  during 
the  war.  She  was  renowned  as  having  been  the  ves 
sel  commanded  by  the  gallant  Somers,  who  lost  his 
life  in  the  harbor  of  Tripoli. 

Lieutenant  Crane,  who  had  command  of  her  when 
taken  by  the  English,  and  who  saw  the  whole  chase, 
speaks  of  the  wonder  and  astonishment  of  the 
British  officers  at  the  handling  of  the  Constitution. 
They  expected  to  see  Hull  throw  overboard  his 
guns  and  anchors  and  stave  his  boats.  This  they 
did  themselves  in  a  measure,  as  they  cut  adrift  many 
of  their  cutters — and  spent  some  time  afterwards  in 
picking  them  up — by  the  same  token.  Nothing  had 
been  done  to  lighten  the  Constitution  but  to  start 
the  water-casks,  as  before  mentioned. 

So  sure  were  the  English  of  making  a  capture  that 
Captain  Broke  had  appointed  a  prize  crew  from  his 
vessel,  the  Shannon,  and  had  claimed  the  honor  of 
sailing  the  Constitution  into  Halifax ;  but,  as  a  con 
temporary  states,  "  The  gallant  gentleman  counted 


THREE -DAYS  CHASE   OF  THE   "CONSTITUTION"      31 

his  chickens  before  they  were  hatched  " — a  saying 
trite  but  true. 

To  quote  from  the  Shannon  s  log,  under  the  entry 
of  July  i8th,  will  be  of  interest:  "  At  dawn"  (so  it 
runs)  "  an  American  frigate  within  four  miles  of  the 
squadron.  Had  a  most  fatiguing  and  anxious  chase ; 
both  towing  and  kedging,  as  opportunity  offered. 
American  exchanged  a  few  shots  with  Belvidera — 
carried  near  enemy  by  partial  breeze.  Cut  our 
boats  adrift,  but  all  in  vain  ;  the  Constitution  sailed 
well  and  escaped." 

It  is  recorded  in  English  annals  that  there  were 
some  very  sharp  recriminations  and  explanations 
held  in  the  Shannons  cabin.  Perhaps  Captain  Hull 
would  have  enjoyed  being  present ;  but  by  this  time 
he  was  headed  northward.  He  ran  into  Boston 
harbor  for  water  on  the  following  Sunday. 

Broke's  squadron  separated,  hoping  to  find  the 
Constitution  on  some  future  day  and  force  her  to 
action.  In  this  desire  Captain  Dacres  of  the  Guer- 
riere  was  successful — so  far  as  the  finding  was  con 
cerned  ;  but  the  well-known  result  started  American 
hearts  to  beating  high  and  cast  a  gloom  over  the 
Parliament  of  England. 

The  ovations  and  praises  bestowed  upon  the 
American  commander  upon  his  arrival  at  Boston 
induced  him  to  insert  the  following  card  on  the 
books  of  the  Exchange  Coffee-House : 

"  Captain  Hull,  finding  that  his  friends  in  Boston 
are  correctly  informed  of  his  situation  when  chased 


32      NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE  WAR  OF  1 8 12 

by  the  British  squadron  off  New  York,  and  that 
they  are  good  enough  to  give  him  more  credit  for 
having  escaped  it  than  he  ought  to  claim,  takes  this 
opportunity  of  requesting  them  to  transfer  their 
good  wishes  to  Lieutenant  Morris  and  the  other 
brave  officers,  and  the  crew  under  his  command,  for 
their  very  great  exertions  and  prompt  attention  to 
his  orders  while  the  enemy  were  in  chase.  Captain 
Hull  has  great  pleasure  in  saying  that,  notwith 
standing  the  length  of  the  chase,  and  the  officers 
and  crew  being  deprived  of  sleep,  and  allowed  but 
little  refreshment  during  the  time,  not  a  murmur 
was  heard  to  escape  them." 

It  is  rather  a  remarkable  circumstance  that  the 
Belvidera,  which  was  one  of  the  vessels  that  in  this 
long  chase  did  her  best  to  come  up  with  the  Consti 
tution,  had  some  months  before  declined  the  honor 
of  engaging  the  President.  For,  on  the  24th  of 
June,  Captain  Rodgers  had  fired  with  his  own  hand 
one  of  the  President's  bowchasers  at  the  Belvidera, 
and  thus  opened  the  war.  After  exchanging  some 
shots,  Captain  Byron,  of  the  Belvidera,  decided  that 
discretion  was  the  better  part,  and,  lightening  his 
ship,  managed  to  escape. 


II 

THE  "CONSTITUTION"  AND  THE   "GUERRIERE 

[August  iQth,  1812] 


THE  history  of  the  naval  combats  of  our  sec 
ond  war  with  Great  Britain,  the  career  of 
the  frigate  Constitution^  and  the  deeds  of 
our  Yankee  commodores  will  never  be  forgotten  as 
long  as  we  have  a  navy  or  continue  to  be  a  nation. 
England,  it  must  be  remembered,  had  held  the  seas 
for  centuries.  In  no  combat  between  single  ships 
(where  the  forces  engaged  were  anything  like  equal) 
had  she  lost  a  vessel.  The  French  fleets,  under  or 
ders  of  their  own  government,  ran  away  from  hers, 
and  the  Spanish  captains  had  allowed  their  ships' 
timbers  to  rot  for  years  in  blockaded  harbors.  Nev 
ertheless,  this  was  the  age  of  honor,  of  gallantry,  of 
the  stiff  duelling  code,  when  men  bowed,  passed 
compliments,  and  fought  one  another  to  the  death 
with  a  parade  of  courtesy  that  has  left  trace  to-day 
in  the  conduct  of  the  intercourse  between  all  naval 
powers.  In  the  duels  of  the  ships  in  the  past  that 
have  stirred  the  naval  world,  America  has  records 
that  are  monuments  to  her  seamen,  and  that  must 
arouse  the  pride  of  every  officer  who  sails  in  her 
great  steel  cruisers  to-day. 

Up  to  the  affair  of  the  Constitution  and  the 
Guerriere,  in  1812,  the  British  had  not  fairly  tested 
in  battle  the  seamanship  or  naval  metal  of  the  Ameri- 


36  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE   WAR   OF    l8l2 

cans.  With  the  exceptions  of  the  actions  between 
the  Bonhomme  Richard  and  the  Serapis,  the  Ranger 
and  Drake,  and  the  Yarmouth  and  Randolph,  the  war 
of  '76  was  a  repelled  invasion. 

The  twenty -four  hours  of  the  iQth  of  August, 
1812,  began  with  light  breezes  that  freshened  as 
the  morning  wore  on.  The  Constitution  was  slip 
ping  southward  through  the  long  rolling  seas. 

A  month  before  this  date,  under  the  command  of 
Commodore  Hull,  she  had  made  her  wonderful  es 
cape  from  Broke's  squadron  after  a  chase  of  over 
sixty  hours. 

Her  cruise  since  she  had  left  Boston,  two  weeks 
before,  had  been  uneventful.  Vainly  had  she 
sought  from  Cape  Sable  to  the  region  of  Halifax, 
from  Nova  Scotia  to  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  for 
any  sign  of  a  foe  worthy  her  metal.  It  was  getting 
on  towards  two  o'clock ;  her  men  had  finished 
their  mid-day  meal,  the  afternoon  drills  had  not  be 
gun,  and  an  observation  showed  the  ship  to  be  in 
latitude  41°  40'  and  longitude  55°  48'.  Suddenly 
"  Sail  ho !"  from  the  mast-head  stirred  the  groups 
on  the  forecastle,  and  caused  the  officer  pacing  the 
weather  side  of  the  quarter-deck  to  stop  suddenly 
and  raise  his  head. 

"  Where  away  ?"  he  shouted  to  the  voice  far  up 
above  the  booming  sails. 

Almost  before  he  could  get  the  answer  the 
stranger's  top-sails  were  visible  from  the  lower  rig 
ging,  into  which  the  midshipmen  and  idlers  had 


"CONSTITUTION"   AND   "  GUERRIERE  "  37 

scrambled,  and  a  few  moments  later  they  could  be 
seen  from  the  upper  deck.  The  vessel  was  too  far 
off  to  show  her  character,  but  bore  E.S.E.,  a  faint 
dot  against  the  horizon. 

Hull  came  immediately  from  his  cabin.  He  was 
a  large,  fat  man,  whose  excitable  temperament  was 
held  in  strong  control.  His  eye  gleamed  when  he 
saw  the  distant  speck  of  white.  Immediately  the 
Constitutions  course  was  altered,  and  with  her  light 
sails  set  she  was  running  free,  with  kites  all  draw 
ing,  and  the  chase  looming  clearer  and  clearer  each 
anxious  minute  of  the  time.  At  three  o'clock  it 
was  plainly  seen  that  she  was  a  large  ship,  on  the 
starboard  tack,  close-hauled  on  the  wind,  and  under 
easy  sail.  In  half  an  hour  her  ports  could  be  de 
scried  through  the  glass,  and  loud  murmurs  of 
satisfaction  ran  through  the  ship's  company.  The 
officers  smiled  congratulations  at  one  another,  and 
Hull's  broad  face  shone  with  his  suppressed  emo 
tion.  In  the  official  account  Hull  speaks  of  the  con 
duct  of  his  crew  before  the  fight  in  the  following 
words :  "  It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  say  that 
from  the  smallest  boy  in  the  ship  to  the  oldest  sea 
man  not  a  look  of  fear  was  seen.  They  went  into 
action  giving  three  cheers,  and  requesting  to  be 
laid  close  to  the  enemy."  The  Constitution  gained 
on  the  stranger,  who  held  her  course,  as  if  entirely 
oblivious  of  her  pursuer's  presence. 

When  within  three  miles,  and  to  leeward,  Hull 
shortened  sail  and  cleared  the  decks ;  the  drum  beat 


38  NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE  WAR  OF    l8l2 

to  quarters,  and  the  men  sprang  to  their  stations. 
No  crew  was  ever  better  prepared  to  do  battle  for 
any  cause  or  country.  Although  few  of  the  men  had 
been  in  action  before,  they  had  been  drilled  until 
they  had  the  handling  of  the  clumsy  iron  guns 
down  to  the  point  of  excellence.  They  had  been 
taught  to  fire  on  the  falling  of  a  sea,  and  to  hull 
their  opponent,  if  possible,  at  every  shot.  They 
loved  and  trusted  their  commander,  were  proud  of 
their  ship,  and  burned  to  avenge  the  wrongs  to 
which  many  had  been  subjected,  for  the  mer 
chant  service  had  furnished  almost  half  their 
number. 

As  soon  as  Hull  took  in  his  sail  the  stranger 
backed  her  main-topsail  yard,  and  slowly  came  up 
into  the  wind.  Then  it  could  be  seen  that  her 
men  were  all  at  quarters  also.  Hull  raised  his 
flag.  Immediately  in  response  up  went  to  every 
mast-head  of  the  waiting  ship  the  red  cross  of  old 
England.  It  was  growing  late  in  the  afternoon,  the 
breeze  had  freshened,  and  the  white-caps  had  be 
gun  to  jump  on  every  side.  The  crew  of  the  Con 
stitution  broke  into  three  ringing  cheers  as  their 
grand  old  craft  bore  down  upon  the  enemy.  When 
almost  within  range  the  English  let  go  her  broad 
side,  filled  away,  wore  ship,  and  fired  her  other 
broadside  on  the  other  tack.  The  shot  fell  short, 
and  the  Constitution  reserved  her  fire.  For  three- 
quarters  of  an  hour  the  two  yawed  about  and 
manoeuvred,  trying  to  rake  and  to  avoid  being 


"  CONSTITUTION  "   AND   "  GUERRIERE  "  39 

raked  in  turn.  Occasionally  the  Constitution  fired 
a  gun ;  her  men  were  in  a  fever  of  impatience. 

At  six  in  the  evening  the  enemy,  seeing  all  at 
tempts  to  outsail  her  antagonist  were  in  vain, 
showed  a  brave  indication  of  wishing  to  close  and 
fight.  Nearer  the  two  approached,  the  American 
in  silence. 

"  Shall  I  fire  ?"  inquired  Lieutenant  Morris,  Hull's 
second  in  command. 

"  Not  yet,"  replied  Hull,  quietly. 

The  bows  of  the  Constitution  began  to  double 
the  quarter  of  the  enemy.  The  latter's  shot  began 
to  start  the  sharp  white  splinters  flying  about  the 
Constitutions  decks. 

"  Shall  I  fire  ?"  again  asked  Lieutenant  Morris. 

"  Not  yet,  sir,"  was  Hull's  answer,  spoken  almost 
beneath  his  breath.  Suddenly  he  bent  forward. 
"  Now,  boys,"  he  shouted,  loudly,  so  that  his  voice 
rang  above  the  enemy's  shots  and  the  roaring  of 
the  seas  under  the  quarter,  "  pour  it  into  them !" 
It  was  at  this  point,  so  the  story  goes,  that  Hull, 
crouching  in  his  excitement,  split  his  tight  knee- 
breeches  from  waistband  to  buckle. 

The  Constitutions  guns  were  double  -  shotted 
with  round  and  grape.  The  broadside  was  as  one 
single  explosion,  and  the  destruction  was  terrific. 
The  enemy's  decks  were  flooded,  and  the  blood  ran 
out  of  the  scuppers — her  cockpit  filled  with  the 
wounded.  For  a  few  minutes,  shrouded  in  smoke, 
they  fought  at  the  distance  of  a  half  pistol-shot,  but 


40  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE   WAR   OF   l8l2 

in  that  short  space  of  time  the  Englishman  was 
literally  torn  to  pieces  in  hull,  spars,  sails,  and  rig 
ging- 

As  her  mizzenmast  gave  way  the  Englishman 

brought  up  into  the  wind,  and  the  Constitution 
forged  slowly  ahead,  fired  again,  luffed  short  around 
the  other's  bows,  and,  owing  to  the  heavy  sea,  fell 
foul  of  her  antagonist,  with  her  bowsprit  across  her 
larboard  quarter.  While  in  this  position  Hull's 
cabin  was  set  on  fire  by  the  enemy's  forward  battery, 
and  part  of  the  crew  were  called  away  from  the  guns 
to  extinguish  the  threatening  blaze. 

Now  both  sides  tried  to  board.  It  was  the  old 
style  of  fighting  for  the  British  tars,  and  they  brave 
ly  swarmed  on  deck  at  the  call,  "  Boarders  away !" 
and  the  shrill  piping  along  the  'tween-decks.  The 
Americans  were  preparing  for  the  same  attempt, 
and  three  of  their  officers  who  mounted  the  taffrail 
were  shot  by  the  muskets  of  the  English.  Brave 
Lieutenant  Bush,  of  the  marines,  fell  dead  with  a 
bullet  in  his  brain. 

The  swaying  and  grinding  of  the  huge  ships 
against  each  other  made  boarding  impossible,  and 
it  was  at  this  anxious  moment  that  the  sails  of 
the  Constitution  filled;  she  fell  off  and  shot  ahead. 
Hardly  was  she  clear  when  the  foremast  of  the  ene 
my  fell,  carrying  with  it  the  wounded  mainmast,  and 
leaving  the  proud  vessel  of  a  few  hours  before  a 
helpless  wreck,  "  rolling  like  a  log  in  the  trough  of 
the  sea,  entirely  at  the  mercy  of  the  billows." 


"CONSTITUTION"   AND   "  GUERRlfcRE  "  41 

It  was  now  nearly  seven  o'clock.  The  sky  had 
clouded  over,  the  wind  was  freshening,  and  the  sea 
was  growing  heavy.  Hull  drew  off  for  repairs,  rove 
new  rigging,  secured  his  masts,  and,  wearing  ship, 
again  approached,  ready  to  pour  in  a  final  broadside. 
It  was  not  needed.  Before  the  Constitution  could 
fire,  the  flag  which  had  been  flying  at  the  stump  of 
the  enemy's  mizzenmast  was  struck.  The  fight  was 
over. 

A  boat  was  lowered  from  the  Constitution,  and 
Lieutenant  Read,  the  third  officer,  rowing  to  the 
prize,  inquired,  with  "  Captain  Hull's  compliments," 
if  she  had  struck  her  flag.  He  was  answered  by 
Captain  Dacres — who  must  have  possessed  a  sense 
of  humor — that,  for  very  obvious  reasons,  she  cer 
tainly  had  done  so. 

To  quote  a  few  words  from  Hull's  account  of  the 
affair  —  he  says:  "After  informing  that  so  fine  a 
ship  as  the  Guerriere,  commanded  by  an  able  and 
experienced  officer,  had  been  totally  dismasted  and 
otherwise  cut  to  pieces,  so  as  to  make  her  not  worth 
towing  into  port,  in  the  short  space  of  thirty  minutes 
(actual  fighting  time),  you  can  have  no  doubt  of  the 
gallantry  and  good  conduct  of  the  officers  and  ship's 
company  I  have  the  honor  to  command." 

In  the  Constitution  seven  were  killed  and  seven 
wounded.  In  the  Guerriere,  fifteen  killed,  sixty-two 
wounded  —  including  several  officers  and  the  cap 
tain,  who  was  wounded  slightly;  twenty-four  were 
missing. 


42  NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE  WAR  OF   1 8 12 

The  next  day,  owing  to  the  reasons  shown  in 
Hull's  report,  the  Guerriere  was  set  on  fire.  At 
3.15  in  the  afternoon  she  blew  up;  and  this  was  the 
end  of  the  ship  whose  commander  had  sent  a  per 
sonal  message  to  Captain  Hull  some  weeks  before, 
requesting  the  "  honor  of  a  tete-a-tete  at  sea." 

Isaac  Hull,  who  had  thus  early  endeared  himself 
in  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen,  and  set  a  high  mark 
for  American  sailors  to  aim  at,  was  born  near  the 
little  town  of  Derby,  not  far  from  New  Haven,  Con 
necticut,  in  the  year  1775.  He  was  early  taken  with 
a  desire  for  the  sea,  and  at  the  age  of  twelve  years 
he  went  on  board  a  vessel  that  had  been  captured 
by  his  father  from  the  British  during  the  Revolution. 

Although  he  entered  the  navy  at  the  age  of 
twenty-three,  he  had  already  made  eighteen  voyages 
to  different  parts  of  Europe  and  the  West  Indies, 
and  had  seen  many  adventures  and  thrilling  mo 
ments. 

During  the  administration  of  John  Adams  there 
occurred  "  that  exceedingly  toilsome  but  inglorious 
service  "  of  getting  rid  of  the  French  privateers  who 
infested  the  West  Indian  seas.  During  this  quasi 
war  Hull  was  first  lieutenant  of  the  frigate  Constitu 
tion  under  Commodore  Talbot.  In  May,  1 798,  he 
had  a  chance  to  distinguish  himself,  and  did  not 
neglect  the  opportunity,  although  the  upshot  of  it 
was  tragic  but  bloodless. 

It  might  not  be  out  of  place  to  relate  the  incident 
here.  In  the  harbor  Porto  Plata,  in  the  island  of 


"CONSTITUTION"  AND  "GUERRIERE"  43 

St.  Domingo,  lay  the  Sandwich,  a  French  letter-of- 
marque.  Hull  was  sent  by  his  superior,  in  one  of  the 
cutters,  to  reconnoitre  the  Frenchman.  On  the  way 
he  found  a  little  American  sloop  that  rejoiced  in 
the  name  of  Sally.  Hull  threw  his  party  of  seamen 
and  marines  on  board  of  her,  and  hid  them  below 
the  deck.  Then  the  Sally  was  put  into  the  harbor, 
and,  as  if  by  some  awkwardness,  ran  afoul  of  the 
Sandwich,  which,  as  a  jocose  writer  remarks,  "  they 
devoured  without  the  loss  of  a  man."  At  the  same 
time  this  rash  proceeding  was  being  carried  on  un 
der  the  eyes  (or,  better,  guns)  of  a  Spanish  battery, 
Lieutenant  Carmick  took  some  marines  and,  rowing 
ashore,  spiked  the  guns.  The  Sandwich  was  capt 
ured  at  mid-day,  and  before  the  afternoon  was  over 
she  weighed  her  anchor,  beat  out  of  the  harbor,  and 
joined  the  Constitution. 

In  the  opinion  of  nautical  judges  this  was  the 
best  bit  of  cutting-out  work  on  record,  for  Hull's 
men  were  outnumbered  three  to  one ;  and  if  he  had 
not  taken  precautions,  the  battery  could  have  blown 
him  out  of  the  water.  But,  alas  and  alack !  all  this  dar 
ing  and  bravery  went  for  worse  than  naught.  Spain 
complained  of  the  treatment  she  had  received,  and 
the  United  States  government  acknowledged  that 
the  capture  was  illegal,  having  taken  place  in  a  neu 
tral  port.  The  Sandwich  was  restored  to  her  French 
owners,  and,  worst  of  all,  every  penny  of  the  prize 
money  due  the  Constitutions  officers  and  men  for 
this  cruise  went  to  pay  the  damages. 


44  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE  WAR   OF    1 8 12 

Before  the  war  of  1812,  Hull  distinguished  him 
self  by  his  fearlessness  and  self-reliance  during  the 
Tripolitan  war.  The  two  occasions  that  gave  him 
renown  during  our  struggle  with  Great  Britain  have 
been  recorded  at  length,  and  there  is  but  to  set  down 
that,  after  the  conclusion  of  the  war  with  Great 
Britain,  Commodore  Hull  was  in  command  at  the 
various  stations  in  the  Pacific  and  the  Mediterranean, 
and  departed  this  life  on  the  I3th  of  February,  1843. 
Of  him  John  Frost  writes,  in  1844,  "  He  was  a  glori 
ous  old  commodore,  with  a  soul  full  of  all  noble  as 
pirations  for  his  country's  honor — a  splendid  relic 
of  a  departed  epoch  of  naval  renown." 


Ill 

THE  -WASP"  AND  THE  " FROLIC" 
[October  i8th,  1812] 


JACOB   JONES,  of  the  United  States  Navy, 
was  a  native  of  Kent  County,  in  the  State 
of  Delaware.     He  rose  rapidly  through  the 
various  grades  of  the  service,  attracting  no 
tice   by  his    steadfastness    and   attention   to   duty, 
and  in  1811  he  was  transferred  to  the  command  of 
the  Wasp,  a  tidy  sloop  of  war  then  mounting  eigh 
teen  24-pound  carronades.     She  was  a  fast  sailer, 
given  any  wind  or  weather. 

In  the  spring  of  1812,  Captain  Jones  was  de 
spatched  to  England  with  communications  to  our 
minister  at  the  Court  of  St.  James.  After  fulfilling 
his  mission  he  immediately  set  sail  for  America. 
The  declaration  of  war  between  England  and  this 
country  took  place  while  the  Wasp  was  on  the  high 
seas  on  her  returning  voyage;  but  as  soon  as  he  had 
landed,  the  news  greeted  her  commander,  and  he 
was  eager  to  put  to  sea  again. 

Captain  Jacob  Jones  knew  his  ship,  he  knew  his 
crew,  and  he  rejoiced  in  having  about  him  a  set  of 
young  officers  devoted  to  the  service.  Their  names 
were  James  Biddle,  George  W.  Rogers,  Benjamin 
W.  Broth,  Henry  B.  Rapp,  and  Lieutenants  Knight 
and  Claxton,  and  they  were  soon  destined  to  win 
laurels  and  glory  for  their  country. 


48  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE  WAR   OF    l8l2 

The  first  short  cruise  yielded  no  adventure  of 
importance,  but  on  the  i3th  of  October  the  Wasp 
left  the  Delaware  and  two  days  later  encountered 
a  heavy  gale,  during  which  her  jib-boom  was  unfort 
unately  carried  away  and  two  of  her  people  lost 
overboard.  For  some  hours  she  was  thrown  about 
like  a  shuttlecock,  and  all  hands  were  called  time 
and  again  to  shorten  sail.  The  night  of  the  iyth 
the  sky  cleared  and  the  stars  shone  brightly.  To 
Captain  Jones's  surprise  several  sail  were  reported 
as  being  close  at  hand  to  the  eastward.  They  were 
clearly  seen  through  the  night-glass  to  be  large,  and 
apparently  armed.  Jones  stood  straight  for  them, 
and  gave  orders  to  lay  the  same  course  that  the 
strangers  were  then  holding,  and  so  they  kept  un 
til  dawn  of  the  next  day,  which  was  a  Sunday. 

A  heavy  sea  was  running,  and  the  Wasp,  close- 
hauled,  crept  up  to  windward  of  the  fleet  that  she 
had  followed  through  the  night.  At  the  beginning 
of  the  early  morning  watch  they  were  made  out  to 
be  four  large  ships  and  two  smaller  vessels  under  a 
spread  of  canvas,  all  keeping  close  together. 

But  what  was  more  interesting  to  the  eager  Amer 
ican  crew  was  a  sturdy  sloop  of  war,  a  brig,  that  was 
edging  up  slowly  into  the  wind,  evidently  guarding 
the  six  fleeing  vessels  to  leeward — the  sheep-dog  of 
the  flock. 

The  Wasp,  having  the  weather-gage,  swung  off 
a  point  or  so  to  lessen  the  distance. 

As  the  stranger  brig  came  nearer  she  heeled  over 


THE   "  WASP  "  AND   THE   "  FROLIC  "  49 

until  her  broadside  could  be  counted  with  the  eye, 
and  her  lower  sails  were  seen  to  be  wet  with  the 
spray  that  dashed  up  over  her  bows. 

For  some  time  the  Americans  had  been  aloft 
getting  down  the  topgallant  yards,  and  at  eleven 
o'clock  the  stranger  brig  shortened  sail  and  shook 
out  the  Spanish  flag.  But  this  did  not  deceive  the 
wary  Yankee  captain  for  half  an  instant.  No  one 
but  an  American  or  an  Englishman  would  carry 
sail  in  that  fashion  or  bring  his  ship  up  to  an 
enemy  like  that,  and  the  Wasp's  drummer  beat  to 
quarters. 

Now  for  over  thirty  minutes  the  two  vessels 
sailed  on  side  by  side,  but  constantly  nearing.  At 
last  they  were  so  close  that  the  buttons  of  the 
officers'  coats  could  be  seen,  the  red  coat  of  a  ma 
rine  showed,  and  all  doubt  on  board  the  Wasp  of 
the  other  being  anything  but  English  was  dispelled 
in  a  flash.  The  matches  had  been  smoking  for  a 
full  quarter  of  an  hour. 

When  within  near  pistol  -  shot  Captain  Jones 
hailed  through  his  trumpet.  Down  came  the  col 
ors  of  Spain  and  up  went  the  cross  of  St.  George. 
The  distance  was  scarcely  sixty  yards,  and  as  the 
flags  exchanged  the  brig  let  go  her  broadside.  A 
lucky  incident  occurred  just  then  that  probably 
saved  many  lives  on  board  the  Wasp.  A  sudden 
puff  of  wind  heeled  the  enemy  over  as  she  fired, 
and  her  shot  swept  through  the  upper  rigging  and 
riddled  the  sails.  Jones  immediately  replied  with 


50  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE   WAR   OF    1 8 12 

all  his  guns,  that  tore  and  hulled  his  antagonist 
with  almost  every  shot;  then,  as  fast  as  his  crew 
could  load  and  fire,  he  kept  at  it.  Now  and  then 
the  muzzles  of  his  little  broadside  would  sweep  into 
the  water ;  but  those  of  the  enemy,  aimed  high,  were 
mangling  his  rigging  and  sweeping  away  braces, 
blocks,  and  running  gear. 

At  the  end  of  a  hot  five  minutes  there  was  a 
sharp  crack  aloft,  and  the  main-topmast  of  the  Wasp 
swayed  and  fell,  bringing  down  the  main -topsail 
yard  across  the  fore -topsail  braces  and  rendering 
the  head-sails  unmanageable.  Three  minutes  more 
and  away  went  the  gaff  at  the  jaws,  and  the  mizzen- 
topgallant  -  sail  fluttered  to  the  deck  like  a  huge 
wounded  bird. 

The  American,  slightly  in  advance,  fell  off  her 
course  and  crossed  her  enemy's  bows,  firing  and  rak 
ing  her  at  close  range  most  fearfully.  At  once  the 
fire  of  the  Englishman  slackened,  and  the  Wasp 
drifted  slowly  back  to  her  former  position. 

Both  vessels  were  jumping  so  in  the  seaway  that 
boarding  would  be  attended  by  mutual  danger. 
The  enemy  revived  from  the  destructive  broadside, 
fired  a  few  more  shots,  and  the  last  brace  of  the 
Wasp  fell  over  her  side,  leaving  the  masts  unsup 
ported,  and,  badly  wounded  as  they  were,  in  a  most 
critical  condition. 

"  We  must  decide  this  matter  at  once,"  said  Cap 
tain  Jones,  as  he  looked  at  the  creaking  spars,  and 
he  gave  orders  to  wear  ship.  Slowly  his  vessel  an- 


THE  "WASP"  AND   THE  "FROLIC"  51 

swered,  and,  paying  off,  the  collision  followed.  With 
a  grinding  jar  the  Wasp  rubbed  along  the  English 
man's  bow,  and  the  jib-boom  of  the  latter,  extend 
ing  clear  across  the  deck  immediately  over  the 
American  commander's  head,  fouled  in  the  mizzen- 
shrouds.  It  was  not  necessary  to  make  her  fast, 
and  she  lay  so  fair  for  raking  that  Jones  gave  orders 
for  another  broadside. 

As  the  gunners  of  the  Wasp  threw  out  their  ram 
mers  the  ends  touched  the  enemy's  sides,  and  the 
muzzles  of  two  i2-pounders  went  through  the  lat- 
ter's  bow-ports  and  swept  the  deck's  length. 

Jack  Lange  was  an  able  American  seaman  who 
had  once  been  impressed  into  the  British  service, 
and  the  excitement  of  the  moment  was  too  much  for 
his  feverish  blood.  Taking  his  cutlass  in  his  teeth, 
he  leaped  atop  a  gun  and  laid  hold  of  the  enemy's 
nettings. 

"  Come  out  of  that,  sir !  Wait  for  orders !"  roared 
Captain  Jones,  who  wished  to  fire  again. 

But  if  Jack  Lange  heard  he  did  not  hesitate,  and, 
despite  the  command,  hauled  himself  alone  over  the 
bows.  Some  of  the  men  left  their  guns  at  this  and 
picked  up  pikes  and  boarding-axes. 

Lieutenant  Biddle  glanced  at  his  commander,  the 
latter  nodded  grimly,  and  with  a  spring  the  lieuten 
ant  gained  the  hammock  cloth  and  reached  up  for 
the  ropes  overhead.  The  vessels  lurched  and  one 
of  his  feet  caught  in  a  tangle,  from  which  he  vainly 
tried  to  free  himself. 


$2  NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE   WAR  OF    l8l2 

Little  Midshipman  Baker,  who  was  too  short  to 
make  a  reach  of  it,  thought  he  saw  his  chance, 
and,  laying  hold  of  Lieutenant  Biddle's  coat  -  tails 
in  his  eagerness,  tried  to  swarm  up  his  superior's 
legs.  The  result  was,  however,  that  both  fell  back 
on  the  rail,  and  came  within  an  ace  of  pitching 
overboard  into  the  sea.  Jumping  up  quickly,  Lieu 
tenant  Biddle  took  advantage  of  a  heave  of  the 
Wasp  and  scrambled  over  the  enemy's  bowsprit  on 
to  the  forecastle. 

There  stood  Jack  Lange,  with  his  cutlass  in  his 
folded  arms,  gazing  at  a  wondrous  sight.  Not  a 
living  soul  was  on  the  deck  but  a  wounded  man  at 
the  wheel  and  three  officers  huddled  near  the  taff- 
rail!  But  the  colors  were  still  whipping  and  snap 
ping  overhead,  and,  two  or  three  more  of  the  Wasp's 
boarders  tumbling  on  board,  the  little  party,  headed 
by  Biddle,  made  their  way  aft.  Immediately  the  offi 
cers,  two  of  whom  were  wounded,  threw  down  their 
swords,  and  one  of  them  leaned  forward  and  hid 
his  face  in  his  hands. 

The  young  lieutenant  jumped  into  the  rigging 
and  hauled  down  the  flag.  It  was  almost  beyond 
belief  that  such  carnage  and  complete  destruction 
could  have  taken  place  in  a  time  so  short.  But  a 
small  proportion  of  the  crew  had  escaped.  The 
wounded  and  dying  lay  everywhere,  the  berth-deck 
was  crowded,  and  there  were  not  enough  of  the  liv 
ing  to  minister  to  their  comrades.  H.  M.  S.  Frolic 
was  a  charnel-ship. 


THE   "WASP"  AND    THE  "FROLIC"  53 

The  Wasp's  crew  brought  on  board  all  their  blank 
ets,  and  the  American  surgeon's  mate  was  soon  busy 
attending  to  the  wounded. 

With  great  difficulty  the  two  vessels  were  sepa 
rated,  for  the  Frolic  had  locked  her  antagonist,  as  it 
were,  in  a  dying  embrace ;  and  no  sooner  were  they 
clear  than  both  of  the  prize's  masts  fell  (one  bring 
ing  down  the  other),  covering  the  dead  and  wounded, 
and  hampering  all  the  efforts  of  Lieutenant  Biddle 
and  his  crew  to  clear  the  decks. 

All  this  time  three  great  white  topsails  had  been 
pushing  up  above  the  horizon,  and  soon  it  was  made 
out  that  a  large  ship  of  some  kind  was  bearing  down, 
carrying  all  the  canvas  she  safely  could  in  the  sharp 
blow. 

Jones,  thinking  that  it  might  be  one  of  the  con 
voy  returning  to  seek  the  Frolic,  called  his  tired 
crew  to  quarters,  instructing  Lieutenant  Biddle  to 
fit  a  jury  rig  and  to  make  with  his  charge  for  some 
Southern  port.  It  was  not  to  be,  however,  and  the 
gallant  victory  was  to  have  a  different  termination. 

The  lookout  on  the  foremast  called  down  some 
thing  that  changed  the  complexion  of  matters  en 
tirely. 

"  A  seventy-four  carrying  the  English  flag !"  he 
shouted.  That  was  all.  The  men  at  the  Wasp's 
guns  put  out  their  matches.  There  was  nothing  to 
do  but  wait  and  be  taken.  Any  resistance  would 
be  worse  than  foolish. 

As  the  great  battle-ship  came  bowling  along  she 


54  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE  WAR  OF    l8l2 

passed  so  close  that  the  faces  could  be  seen  looking 
through  her  three  tiers  of  great  open  ports.  She 
disdained  to  hail,  fired  one  gun  over  the  little  Wasp, 
and  swept  on.  Captain  Jones  hauled  down  his  flag, 
arid  read  the  word  Poictiers  under  the  Britisher's 
galleries.  In  a  minute  or  two  the  latter  retook  the 
Frolic,  and,  lowering  her  boats,  placed  prize  crews 
on  board  both  her  and  the  Yankee  sloop.  After 
some  repairing,  she  set  sail  and  carried  her  captives 
to  Bermuda. 

As  in  all  the  separate  engagements  of  the  time, 
comparisons  were  made  between  the  armaments  and 
crews  of  the  fighters,  and  the  press  of  Great  Britain 
and  America  began  the  customary  argument.  Prob 
ably  the  Wasp  had  a  few  more  men,  but  to  quote : 

"  The  Frolic  mounted  sixteen  32-pound  carron- 
ades,  four  i2-pounders  on  the  main-deck  and  two 
12-pound  carronades.  She  was,  therefore,  superior 
to  the  Wasp  by  exactly  four  i2-pounders.  The 
number  of  men  on  board,  as  stated  by  the  officers 
of  the  Frolic,  was  no.  The  number  of  seamen  on 
the  Wasp  was  102.  But  it  could  not  be  ascertained 
whether  in  this  no  were  included  marines  and 
officers,  for  the  Wasp  had,  besides  her  102  seamen, 
officers  and  marines,  making  the  whole  crew  about 
135.  What,  however,  is  decisive  as  to  their  com 
parative  force  is  that  the  officers  of  the  Frolic  ac 
knowledged  that  they  had  as  many  men  as  they 
knew  what  to  do  with,  and,  in  fact,  the  Wasp  could 
have  spared  fifteen  men.  .  .  .  The  exact  number  of 


THE   "WASP"  AND    THE   "FROLIC"  55 

killed  and  wounded  on  board  the  Frolic  could  not 
be  determined,  but  from  the  observations  of  our 
officers  and  the  declarations  of  those  of  the  Frolic 
the  number  could  not  be  less  than  about  thirty 
killed,  including  two  officers,  and  of  the  wounded 
between  forty  and  fifty,  the  captain  and  lieutenant 
being  of  the  number.  The  Wasp  had  five  killed 
and  five  slightly  wounded." 

Captain  Jones  in  his  report  speaks  of  the  bravery 
of  his  officers,  the  gallantry  of  his  adversary,  Cap 
tain  Whinyates,  and  makes  little  mention  of  himself. 
Upon  his  exchange  and  return  to  the  United  States 
he  was  received  with  every  honor  belonging  to  a 
victor,  and  the  sum  of  $25,000  was  voted  by  Con 
gress  to  be  divided  as  prize  money  among  his  crew. 
The  Wasp  soon  flew  the  British  flag,  but  was  lost 
at  sea.  Strange  to  relate,  this  was  also  the  fate  of 
the  second  Wasp  that  was  soon  afloat  in  the  Amer 
ican  service,  and  that  had  a  career  which  was  sur 
passed  by  none  of  the  smaller  vessels  of  the  day. 


IV 

THE  "UNITED  STATES"  AND  THE  " MACEDONIAN " 
[October  25th,  1812] 


MEDAL    PRESENTED    BY    CONGRESS    TO 
CAPTAIN    STEPHEN    DECATUR 


"Then  quickly  met  our  nation's  eyes 

The  noblest  sight  in  nature — 
A  first-rate  frigate  as  a  prize 

Brought  home  by  brave  Decatur." 
— Old  Song. 

EIGHTY-FOUR  years  ago,  throughout  the 
country,  the  name  Decatur  was  toasted  at 
every  table,  was  sung  from  the  forecastle 
to  the  drawing-room,  from  the  way-side  tavern  to 
the  stage  of  the  city  playhouse.  To-day,  written  or 
spoken,  it  stands  out  like  a  watchword,  reminiscent 
of  the  days  of  brave  gallantry  and  daring  enterprise 
at  sea. 

Those  writers  who  have  been  tempted  by  their 
Americanism  and  pride  to  take  up  the  navy  as  a 
field  have  repeated  over  and  over  again,  more  than 
likely,  everything  that  could  be  said  about  Stephen 
Decatur. 

On  his  father's  side  he  was  of  French  descent,  as 
his  name  shows,  his  grandfather  being  a  native  of 
La  Rochelle  in  France,  and  his  grandmother  an 
American  lady  from  Rhode  Island.  He  was  named 
after  his  father,  Stephen  Decatur,  who  was  born  at 
Newport,  but  who  had  at  an  early  age  removed  to 
Philadelphia,  where  he  had  married  the  beautiful 
Miss  Pine. 


60  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE  WAR   OF    l8l2 

On  the  establishment  of  an  American  navy  he 
was  appointed  to  the  Delaware,  sloop  of  war.  This 
was  after  he  had  commanded  one  or  two  merchant 
vessels  and  had  proved  himself  a  seaman.  When 
the  frigate  Philadelphia  was  built  by  subscriptions 
of  loyal-hearted  merchants,  the  command  of  her  was 
tendered  to  the  elder  Decatur  by  the  particular  re 
quest  of  the  subscribers.  The  value  of  inheritance 
could  not  be  shown  more  strongly  than  by  looking 
at  the  career  of  the  son  born  to  him  on  the  5th  of 
January,  1779.  At  the  time  of  the  birth  of  Stephen 
Decatur,  Jr.,  his  parents  were  residing  on  the  eastern 
shore  of  Maryland  during  the  days  the  British  were 
in  possession  of  the  town  of  Philadelphia.  After 
the  evacuation  of  that  place  they  returned,  and  here 
their  son  was  educated  with  the  idea  of  making  a 
sailor  of  him  from  the  very  first. 

Young  Decatur  entered  the  navy  in  March,  1 798, 
and  joined  the  frigate  United  States,  commanded 
by  Commodore  John  Barry,  who,  by-the-way,  was 
instrumental  in  securing  the  appointment  for  him. 
It  was  not  long  before  he  was  promoted  to  be  a 
lieutenant,  and  made  a  cruise  on  the  Spanish  Main 
on  the  brig  Norfolk  during  the  war  against  the 
French  cruisers.  Returning  after  the  peace  was 
concluded  with  France,  he  was  ordered  to  the  Essex 
as  first  lieutenant,  and  sailed  with  Commodore  Dale's 
squadron  to  the  Mediterranean.  This  trip  he  made 
twice  more,  for  on  the  return  of  that  squadron  he 
was  ordered  to  the  New  York  under  Commodore 


"  UNITED   STATES  "  AND  "  MACEDONIAN  "  6 1 

Morris,  who  took  the  same  station.  After  a  short 
stay  Decatur  returned  to  the  United  States,  and 
soon  afterwards  he  was  given  his  first  command,  the 
brig  Argus,  and  with  her  proceeded  to  join  Commo 
dore  Treble's  squadron,  and  was  transferred  to  the 
command  of  the  schooner  Enterprise,  exchanging 
vessels  with  Lieutenant  Isaac  Hull.  The  story  of  the 
capture  and  blowing  up  of  the  frigate  Philadelphia, 
which  under  Captain  Bainbridge  had  run  ashore 
and  been  taken  by  the  Tripolitans,  has  been  de 
scribed  times  without  number.  There  is  not  space 
to  write  about  it  here.  It  is  a  tale  in  itself.  But 
after  the  success  of  Decatur's  attempt,  in  which  he 
overcame  obstacles  apparently  insurmountable,  the 
eyes  of  the  country  were  turned  upon  him,  and  the 
great  things  that  he  afterwards  accomplished  were 
predicted. 

Decatur  was  one  of  those  men  whose  courage  and 
lofty  spirit  make  it  impossible  for  them  to  remain 
spectators  or  mere  directors  of  events  in  which  they 
are  interested.  It  was  necessary  for  him  to  be  in 
the  midst  of  the  fight,  sword  or  pistol  in  hand,  like  a 
common  seaman.  The  story  of  his  duel  with  the 
Turkish  commander  in  the  harbor  of  Tripoli,  where, 
with  a  sword  broken  at  the  hilt,  he  fought  a  hand- 
to-hand  fight  and  emerged  victorious,  gives  a  little 
insight  into  his  character.  Upon  his  return  to  his 
country,  after  some  short  service  he  was  appoint 
ed  to  the  command  of  the  Chesapeake,  succeeding 
Commodore  Barren,  who  had  struck  to  the  British 


62  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE  WAR  OF    l8l2 

frigate  Leopard  in  1807.  It  was  here  that  the  bad 
feeling  between  these  officers  that  led  to  the  tragic 
ending  of  Decatur's  life  began.  As  soon  as  the 
frigate  United  States  was  put  in  commission,  Deca- 
tur  was  relieved  of  his  command  of  the  Chesapeake 
(which,  to  tell  the  truth,  he  did  not  much  relish),  and 
thus  found  himself,  on  the  outbreak  of  the  war  with 
Great  Britain,  with  plenty  of  opportunities  before 
him  to  add  to  his  laurels. 

In  October  of  the  year  1812  the  frigate  United 
States  was  one  of  a  small  squadron  that  was  cruising 
not  far  from  the  island  of  Madeira.  On  the  twelfth 
day  of  the  month  she  parted  with  the  President, 
44,  and  later  with  the  i6-gun  brig  Argus,  both 
of  which  had  sailed  with  her  from  the  port  of  Bos 
ton,  all  well  officered,  well  manned,  and  eager  to 
meet  the  enemy.  Bearing  away  southward  into  the 
paths  of  the  British  West-Indiamen,  Decatur,  on  the 
United  States,  hoped  to  intercept  a  rich  prize  or  two, 
or,  better,  if  possible,  to  fall  in  with  one  of  His  Maj 
esty's  vessels,  which  were  constantly  hovering  in 
that  neighborhood.  Sharp  lookouts  were  kept  at 
the  mast-head  at  all  hours,  and  the  crew  were  spoil 
ing  for  action. 

Sunday  morning,  the  25th,  dawned  bright  and 
clear.  There  was  a  stiff  breeze  blowing,  and  the 
frigate  was  under  easy  canvas,  steering  a  course 
southeast  by  east.  An  observation  showed  her  to 
be  in  latitude  29°,  longitude  29°  30'  west.  As  soon 
as  daylight  was  fairly  broad,  off  to  windward,  close 


"UNITED  STATES"  AND  "MACEDONIAN"        63 

to  the  horizon,  the  lookout  descried  a  sail,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  it  was  discovered  that  the  stranger  was 
an  English  ship  of  war  carrying  all  but  her  lighter 
canvas.  Quickly  the  United  States  blossomed  out 
from  the  topgallant  yard  to  her  main-course;  and 
although  the  breeze  was  strong,  studding-sails  were 
set,  and,  tossing  the  heavy  sea  to  left  and  right, 
she  was  soon  hard  upon  the  chase.  The  United 
States  was  a  good  sailer — all  of  our  ships  were  in 
those  days — and  long  before  seven  o'clock  it  was 
seen  that  she  was  overhauling  the  enemy  rapidly. 
So  great  was  the  enthusiasm  of  her  officers  and 
men  that  the  cheers  they  gave  were  borne  by  the 
wind  to  the  Englishman  before  a  single  gun  of  the 
action  had  been  fired.  Through  the  glass  it  could 
be  seen  that  the  enemy  were  at  quarters.  At  nine 
in  the  morning  Decatur  luffed  a  little,  took  in  his 
lighter  sails,  and  fired  his  gun-deck  battery ;  but  the 
balls  fell  short.  Both  vessels  were  now  on  the  same 
tack,  close  on  the  wind,  and  Decatur  found  that  it 
was  impossible  for  the  United  States  to  gain  the 
weather-gage. 

Broadsides  were  exchanged  as  the  distance  was 
lessened,  and  for  half  an  hour  the  commanders  con 
tinued  firing,  doing  no  vital  damage.  Suddenly  the 
enemy  changed  his  course,  squared  his  yards,  and 
crossed  Decatur's  bows,  letting  drive  his  forward 
battery.  Still  the  United  States  held  on ;  and  here 
the  Englishman  made  a  fatal  error.  It  is  given  by 
some  authorities  that  Captain  John  Garden,  the 


64  NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE  WAR  OF   l8l2 

commander  of  the  Macedonian,  supposed  his  oppo 
nent  to  be  the  Essex,  which  only  mounted  carron- 
ades;  therefore  he  commenced  action  at  long-range. 
It  did  not  take  long,  however,  to  apprise  him  that 
he  was  out  in  his  reckoning,  for  although  the  dis 
tance  was  so  great  that  carronades  and  muskets 
were  of  no  avail,  almost  every  shot  from  the  heavy 
metal  of  the  American  struck  its  mark,  despite  the 
pitching  cross-sea.  Finding  it  was  too  late  to  run, 
Captain  Garden  bravely  bore  down  upon  the  United 
States  to  engage  her  at  close  quarters,  as  at  the  dis 
tance  at  which  the  action  had  commenced  he  was 
being  literally  chopped  to  pieces.  It  was  reported 
that  during  the  engagement,  which  then  began  in 
earnest,  so  incessant  were  the  broadsides  of  the 
American  vessel  the  Englishman  supposed  her  to 
be  on  fire,  and  three  or  four  times  cheered  in  their 
turn  as  the  news  ran  through  the  ship;  but  they 
were  soon  undeceived.  The  splendid  gunnery  of 
the  Americans  was  apparent  as  the  vessels  neared. 
The  rigging  and  spars  of  the  Macedonian  were  rid 
dled  and  cut,  many  of  her  guns  were  dismounted, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  her  mizzenmast  went  by  the 
board.  Pitching  to  and  fro,  shrouded  in  the  smoke 
which  blew  towards  her  from  the  enemy's  guns,  the 
United  States  kept  up  her  destructive  fire.  For  an 
instant  the  smoke  cleared  away,  and  there  hung  the 
main-yard-arm  of  the  English  frigate  in  two  pieces ; 
her  main-topmast  was  gone,  her  fore-topmast  was 
tottering,  and  no  colors  were  seen  floating  above  her 


"  UNITED   STATES  "  AND   "  MACEDONIAN  "  65 

deck ;  her  bowsprit  was  swaying  to  and  fro,  held 
only  by  the  jib-forestay,  and  sailing  was  impossible. 
She  ceased  to  gather  headway,  lurching  and  yawing 
to  one  side  and  the  other  helplessly. 

Strange  to  say,  the  United  States  remained  almost 
unhurt.  Decatur  ceased  his  fire  as  he  saw  the  ene 
my's  plight,  furled  his  mizzen-topsail  (the  mizzen- 
topmast  being  badly  wounded),  drew  away,  tacked, 
and  came  under  the  lee  of  the  English  ship.  She 
gave  him  a  feeble  broadside,  and  Decatur  luffed 
again  across  her  bows.  As  he  did  so,  Garden,  per 
ceiving  further  resistance  to  be  vain,  hauled  down 
his  colors,  which  had  again  been  hoisted  on  a  spar 
at  the  stump  of  the  mizzenmast. 

Decatur,  his  face  flushed  with  victory,  hailed  in 
person :  "  What  ship  is  that  ?" 

"  His  Majesty's  frigate  Macedonian,  thirty-eight, 
John  S.  Garden,"  was  the  response. 

Immediately  a  boat  was  lowered,  and  an  officer 
was  sent  on  board.  In  the  two  hours  of  the  en 
gagement  she  had  suffered  terribly.  Not  less  than 
one  hundred  round-shot  were  counted  in  her  hull, 
many  of  them  between  wind  and  water.  She  had 
nothing  standing  but  her  mainmast  and  fore -yard. 
Her  boats  were  useless,  with  exception  of  one  small 
quarter-boat;  and  out  of  the  officers  and  crew,  three 
hundred  in  number,  thirty-six  were  killed  and  sixty- 
eight  were  wounded.  The  American  loss  was  five 
killed  and  six  wounded. 

The  Macedonian  was  but  two  years  old,  a  fine 

5 


66  NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE  WAR  OF   1 8 12 

vessel  of  her  class,  rated  thirty-eight,  and  carrying 
forty -nine  guns — eighteen  on  her  gun -deck,  and 
thirty -two -pound  carronades  above.  The  United 
States  was  heavier  and  stronger,  both  in  metal  and 
men,  it  cannot  be  denied,  having  a  crew  of  four  hun 
dred  and  seventy-eight.  But,  even  taking  into  ac 
count  the  disparity  in  the  weight  of  metal  and  the 
number  of  crew,  the  action  proved  conclusively  that 
American-built  ships  and  American  seamen  were  to 
open  the  eyes  of  the  world  in  conflicts  on  the  sea. 

Now  comes  the  courtesy,  the  almost  stilted  polite 
ness,  that  always  seems  as  if  prepared  especially  for 
dramatic  effect  before  translation  into  history.  As 
the  brave  Garden  stepped  upon  the  deck  of  the 
United  States  he  proffered  his  sword  to  Decatur. 

"  No,  sir,"  exclaimed  the  latter,  doffing  his  cocked 
hat, "  I  cannot  receive  the  sword  of  a  man  who  has 
so  bravely  defended  his  ship ;  but,"  he  added,  smil 
ing  graciously,  "  I  will  receive  your  hand." 

As  an  honored  guest,  Decatur  led  the  vanquished 
to  his  cabin,  where  refreshments,  to  quote  from  an 
other  account  of  the  affair, "  were  set  out  and  par 
taken  of  in  a  friendly  spirit  by  the  two  commanders." 

Contrary  to  the  opinion  formed  by  the  first  in 
spection,  Decatur  found  his  prize  capable  of  being 
refitted,  and  he  determined  to  bring  her  to  an  Amer 
ican  port.  The  United  States  was  speedily  repaired. 
In  charge  of  Lieutenant  Allen,  who  had  made  a 
jury-rigging  for  the  Macedonian^  turning  her  for  the 
nonce  into  a  bark,  captor  and  captive  set  sail  for 


"  UNITED   STATES  "  AND   "  MACEDONIAN  "  67 

the  United  States.  On  the  4th  of  December  his 
prize  entered  the  harbor  of  Newport,  and  it  was  upon 
this  occasion  that  the  old  song  was  written  from 
which  the  stanza  at  the  head  of  this  article  is  taken. 
Nothing  could  be  more  dramatic  than  the  way  the 
victory  was  announced  at  Washington.  Midship 
man  Hamilton,  who  was  in  the  engagement  with 
Decatur,  and  served  with  signal  bravery,  was  sent 
with  the  captured  flag  of  the  Macedonian  to  present 
it  to  his  father,  Paul  Hamilton,  then  Secretary  of 
the  Navy.  He  arrived  in  Washington  on  the  even 
ing  of  the  8th  of  December.  A  ball  was  in  progress, 
and  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  was  present.  The 
room  was  filled  with  beautiful  women,  with  men  in 
all  the  color  and  glory  of  gold  lace,  epaulets,  and 
side-arms,  when  Hamilton  entered.  He  carried  the 
flag  of  the  Macedonian  wrapped  about  his  shoulders. 
Instantly  he  was  surrounded.  The  silk-stockinged 
dandies  caught  him  up  on  their  shoulders,  and  it  is 
even  on  record  that,  strange  to  the  customs  of  the 
times,  dignity  for  once  was  cast  aside,  and  a  cheer 
rang  through  the  ballroom.  In  the  possession  of 
the  author  is  a  letter  (hitherto  unpublished)  writ 
ten  by  Mrs.  B.  H.  Latrobe,  grandmother  of  the  ex- 
Mayor  of  Baltimore,  to  Mrs.  Juliana  Miller.  It  gives 
such  a  graphic  picture  of  the  times  that  an  extract 
from  it  cannot  fail  of  interest.  The  letter  is  dated 
Washington,  December  i4th,  and  reads  thus: 

"  The  dulness  of  the  city  has,  however,  been  removed  in  some 
degree  by  a  splendid  entertainment  on  board  the  frigate  Constella- 


68  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF   THE   WAR  OF    l8l2 

tion.  We  were  invited  to  be  there  at  eleven,  to  pass  the  day.  The 
vessel  lay  about  half  a  mile  from  the  shore,  and  two  very  elegant 
barges  of  twelve  oars  conveyed  the  company.  This  was  the  only 
unpleasant  part  of  the  amusement,  for  the  day  proved  extremely 
cold,  and  a  high  wind  was  blowing.  However,  we  all  arrived  safe 
about  twelve,  and  the  deck  was  closed  in  with  flags,  awnings,  etc., 
and  two  stoves  so  effectually  heated  it  as  to  make  the  temperature 
delightful.  The  dancing  soon  commenced,  and  continued  till  three, 
when  the  boatswain's  whistle  called  us  to  a  magnificent  dinner  be 
low.  The  President  and  Mrs.  Madison  were  seated  at  the  end  of  a 
very  long  table ;  but  I  cannot  tell  you  all  the  company,  and  can 
only  say  that  the  number  was  said  to  be  five  hundred.  After  dinner 
the  dancing  commenced  again,  and  continued  till  about  six  in  the 
evening,  when  the  company  broke  up.  On  Tuesday  a  very  splen 
did  ball  was  given  to  the  navy  officers  Hull,  Morris,  Stewart,  etc. 
My  husband  could  not  be  absent,  as  he  holds  an  office  in  the  Navy 
Department,  and  I  was  not  sorry  we  went,  as  it  is  not  likely  I  shall 
ever  witness  such  another  scene.  At  about  five  in  the  evening  my 
husband  came  home,  and  informed  me  that  we  must  immediately 
illuminate  our  house,  as  the  account  of  a  victory  gained  by  Commo 
dore  Decatur  had  just  arrived.  My  house  in  ten  minutes  was  pre 
pared  for  lighting  up,  and  we  prepared  for  the  ball.  The  Avenue 
was  very  brilliant  on  our  way  to  the  Capitol  Hill,  and,  the  company 
assembling,  the  crowd  was  immense.  Mrs.  Madison  was  there,  but 
not  the  President.  The  evening  went  on,  with  crowding  as  usual 
upon  the  toes  and  trains  of  those  that  did  not  dance,  when,  about 
ten  o'clock,  a  loud  huzza,  announced  the  arrival  of  young  Archibald 
Hamilton,  who  had  that  moment  appeared  with  the  colors  of  the 
Macedonian.  He  was  borne  into  the  room  by  many  officers.  Good 
little  Mrs.  Hamilton,  his  mother,  stood  by  me,  and  was  so  much 
agitated  at  the  sight  of  her  son  that  she  must  have  fallen  had  I  not 
stepped  forward  and  offered  her  my  arm.  The  young  man  sprang 
into  her  arms,  his  sisters  threw  their  arms  around  him,  and  the 
scene  was  quite  affecting.  The  colors  were  then  held  up  by  several 
gentlemen  over  the  heads  of  Hull,  Morris,  and  Stewart,  and  '  Hail, 
Columbia !'  played,  and  there  were  huzzas  until  my  head  swayed. 

"  The  aforesaid  colors  were  then  laid  at  the  feet  of  Mrs.  Madison. 
O  temporal  O  mores !  This  was  rather  overdoing  the  affair.  I 
forgot  to  say  that  the  flag  of  the  Guerriere  was  festooned  on  one 


"UNITED   STATES"  AND   "MACEDONIAN"  69 

side  of  the  room,  and  of  some  other  vessel.  Now,  between  our 
selves,  I  think  it  wrong  to  exult  so  outrageously  over  our  enemies. 
We  may  have  reason  to  laugh  on  the  other  side  of  our  mouths 
some  of  these  days;  and  as  the  English  are  so  much  stronger  than 
we  are  with  their  navy,  there  are  ten  chances  to  one  that  we  are 
beaten.  Therefore  it  is  best  to  act  moderately  when  we  take  a 
vessel,  and  I  could  not  look  at  those  colors  with  pleasure,  the  tak 
ing  of  which  had  made  so  many  widows  and  orphans.  In  the  ful 
ness  of  my  feelings,  I  exclaimed  to  a  gentleman  who  stood  near  me, 
'  Good  heavens !  I  would  not  touch  that  color  for  a  thousand  dol 
lars  !'  He  walked  quickly  away,  I  hearing  another  gentleman  say, 
'  Is  it  possible,  Mrs.  Latrobe  ?'  I  looked  around,  and  it  was  a  good 
stanch  Federalist  from  Rhode  Island,  Mr.  Hunter,  so  that  I  shall 
escape  hanging  after  so  treasonable  a  speech." 


Perhaps  the  circumstances  were  a  valid  excuse 
for  the  cheering;  but  this  letter  is  a  strange  side 
light  on  some  of  the  feeling  of  the  times. 

All  through  the  country  Decatur  became  the 
hero  of  the  hour.  With  a  record  for  intrepidity  and 
gallantry  behind  him,  gained  by  his  actions  dur 
ing  the  war  with  Tripoli,  handsome  and  young,  he 
became  the  idol  of  the  public.  Congress,  by  a  unan* 
imous  vote,  gave  him  a  gold  medal.  The  legisla 
tures  of  Massachusetts,  New  York,  Maryland,  Penn 
sylvania,  and  Virginia  gave  him  thanks.  The  city 
of  New  York  gave  him  the  freedom  of  the  city  and 
a  magnificent  sword,  and  tendered  to  his  crew  a 
banquet  at  the  City  Hotel.  Four  hundred  seamen 
sat  down  at  the  long  tables,  and  the  memory  of  that 
feast  of  rejoicing  was  long  kept  green  in  the  service. 
As  a  picture  of  the  day,  a  short  account,  taken  from 
a  contemporaneous  history,  The  War,  of  the  banquet 


?O  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE   WAR   OF    l8l2 

given  to  Commodores  Hull,  Jones,  and  Decatur  is 
of  interest.  The  entertainment  was  given  on  the 
day  after  the  freedom  of  the  city  was  presented  to 
Captain  Hull  He  and  Decatur  were  present; 
Jones  was  absent.  At  five  o'clock  about  five  hun 
dred  guests  sat  down  at  the  tables,  De  Witt  Clinton, 
the  mayor,  presiding.  "  The  room  had  the  appear 
ance  of  a  marine  palace,"  said  an  eye-witness.  It 
was  colonnaded  around  with  masts  of  ships  en 
twined  with  laurels,  and  having  the  national  flags  of 
the  world.  Every  table  had  a  ship  in  miniature  with 
the  American  flag  displayed.  On  the  wall  was  a 
mainsail  of  a  ship,  and  when  the  third  toast, "  Our 
Navy,"  was  given,  with  three  cheers,  this  sail  was 
furled,  revealing  "  an  immense  transparent  painting 
of  the  three  naval  engagements  in  which  Hull, 
Jones,  and  Decatur  were  respectively  engaged." 
Too  great  to  be  spoiled,  Decatur  still  remained  the 
quiet,  simple  hero,  before  whose  eyes  were  spelled 
two  words — Country  and  Duty;  the  one  he  lived 
to  serve,  the  other  to  fulfil.  And,  alas !  he  died  a 
victim  to  that  curious,  strained  sense  of  honor  that 
kept  men  demanding  explanations,  and  led  them  to 
shoot  one  another  under  God's  sky,  surrounded  by 
their  friends,  in  a  duel  to  the  death.  He  was  killed 
by  Commodore  Barren  at  Bladensburg,  Maryland, 
on  March  22d,  1820.  Commodore  Bainbridge  was 
Decatur's  second,  and  he,  with  others,  had  made 
many  ineffectual  attempts  to  avert  the  unfortunate 
meeting. 


V 

THE   -CONSTITUTION"  AND  THE   "JAVA" 
[December  29th,  1812] 


MEDAL    PRESENTED    BY    CONGRESS    TO 
CAPTAIN    WILLIAM    BAINBKIDGE 


WILLIAM  BAINBRIDGE,  commodore, 
was   one    of   those    commanders   who 
were  graduated  from  the  merchant  ser 
vice  to  take  high  place  in  the  navy  of  our  country. 

Owing  to  his  own  personal  qualifications  and 
character,  he  became  renowned.  Bainbridge  was 
born  at  Princeton,  New  Jersey,  May  7th,  1774.  He 
was  descended  from  ancestors  of  high  standing,  who 
had  for  several  generations  been  residents  of  the 
State  in  which  he  was  born,  his  father  being  a 
prominent  physician,  who,  shortly  after  the  birth  of 
William,  his  fourth  son,  removed  to  New  York.  As 
a  boy  Bainbridge  conceived  a  great  love  for  the  sea ; 
and  although  under  the  care  of  his  grandfather, 
John  Taylor,  he  had  been  educated  carefully  for  a 
mercantile  pursuit,  his  desires  and  importunities 
were  gratified,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  he  was 
placed  on  board  a  merchantman  about  to  sail  from 
the  port  of  Philadelphia. 

In  order  to  test  him,  he  was  given  the  berth  of  a 
common  sailor  before  the  mast.  Strong  and  agile, 
with  his  natural  aptitude  and  born  courage,  it  was 
not  long  before  he  began  to  show  what  he  was 
made  of.  After  his  fourth  voyage  he  was  promoted 
to  the  rank  of  first  mate  on  board  a  vessel  trading 


74  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE  WAR  OF   l8l2 

between  this  country  and  Holland.  During  this 
voyage  a  mutiny  arose  which  Bainbridge  and  the 
captain  put  down,  although  there  were  seven  men 
against  them.  For  this  act,  and  in  recognition  of 
his 'skill  as  a  navigator  and  practical  seaman,  he  was 
given  command  of  this  same  vessel  at  the  early  age 
of  nineteen. 

Bainbridge  as  a  young  man  was  not  foolhardy, 
but  he  was  of  that  stamp  that  brooked  no  interfer 
ence  with  his  rights,  and  allowed  no  insult  to  pass 
by  unnoticed.  While  in  command  of  the  Hope>  a 
little  vessel  of  about  one  hundred  and  forty  tons' 
burden,  mounting  four  guns  and  having  a  crew  of 
eleven  men,  he  refused  to  stop  at  the  hail  of  an 
English  schooner;  whereat  the  latter  fired  at  him, 
and  Bainbridge,  probably  to  the  Englishman's  great 
astonishment,  replied  so  briskly  with  his  little  broad 
side  that  the  commander  of  the  schooner  actually 
surrendered,  although  his  force  consisted  of  eight 
guns  and  thirty  men.  Several  were  killed  and 
wounded,  and  his  vessel  so  much  injured  in  the  rig 
ging  and  hull  that  he  hailed  Bainbridge,  asking  what 
the  latter  proposed  doing  with  him.  This  was  in 
the  year  1796.  There  was  no  war  between  this 
country  and  England,  and  Bainbridge  contented 
himself  by  calling  the  following  message  through 
his  trumpet :  "  I  have  no  use  for  you.  Go  about 
your  business,  and  report  to  your  masters  if  they 
want  my  ship  they  must  either  send  a  greater  force 
or  a  more  skilful  commander." 


THE  "CONSTITUTION"  AND  THE  "JAVA"        75 

A  few  days  after  this  event,  while  on  the  home 
ward  voyage,  the  Hope  was  stopped  by  a  heavily 
armed  British  frigate,  and  one  of  her  crew,  an 
American,  was  taken  out  of  her  on  the  pretence 
of  his  being  a  Scotchman.  Bainbridge  offered  to 
make  oath  to  the  contrary,  but  nevertheless  the  man 
was  impressed.  Within  the  same  week  Bainbridge 
fell  in  with  an  English  brig  much  larger  than  his 
own  ship,  and,  surprising  her  by  rowing  alongside 
with  an  armed  boat's  crew,  he  took  from  her  one  of 
the  English  sailors,  leaving  this  message:  "Captain 

may  report  that  Captain  William  Bainbridge 

has  taken  one  of  His  Majesty's  subjects  in  retalia 
tion  for  a  seaman  taken  from  the  American  ship 
Hope  by  Lieutenant  Norton  of  the  Indefatigable 
razee  commanded  by  Sir  Edward  Pellew." 

A  contemporary  adds :  "  The  captured  seaman 
received  good  wages  and  was  discharged  just  as 
soon  as  he  reached  an  American  port,  in  no  way 
dissatisfied  with  the  service  into  which  he  had  thus 
been  forced." 

Bainbridge 's  action  in  these  small  affairs  attracted 
the  notice  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  and  early 
in  1798  he  was  given  the  command  of  the  Retalia 
tion,  a  small  vessel  lately  taken  from  the  French  by 
the  elder  Decatur.  In  the  fall  of  the  year  the  Re 
taliation,  in  company  with  the  Norfolk  and  the 
Montezuma,  two  little  vessels  of  about  the  same 
size,  sailed  for  the  West  Indies,  the  squadron  being 
under  the  command  of  Commodore  Murray.  Off 


76  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE  WAR  OF    l8l2 

the  island  of  Guadeloupe,  in  the  month  of  Novem 
ber,  three  sail  were  discovered  to  the  eastward  that 
were  supposed  to  be  English.  At  the  same  moment 
two  other  vessels  were  sighted  to  the  westward. 
Commodore  Murray  sailed  for  the  latter  in  company 
with  the  Norfolk,  while  Bainbridge  was  ordered  to 
reconnoitre  the  three  sails  first  sighted.  Unfortu 
nately  they  proved  to  be  French,  and,  having  the 
weather-gage,  they  closed  with  the  Retaliation  and 
ordered  her  to  strike.  As  both  of  them  were  frig 
ates,  one  being  L'Insurgent  and  the  other  the 
Volontier,  there  was  nothing  for  the  young  captain 
to  do  but  to  comply.  The  French  commander,  St. 
Laurent,  declined  to  take  Bainbridge's  sword,  gal 
lantly  observing  that,  as  he  had  no  opportunity  to 
fight,  he  should  prefer  that  he  would  retain  it.  At 
once  both  frigates  set  out  in  chase  of  the  Montezuma 
and  Norfolk  ;  and  L?  Insurgent,  outsailing  the  other 
Frenchman,  was  almost  within  firing  distance  of  the 
two  American  ships  when  St.  Laurent  asked  their 
force.  The  deception  that  Bainbridge  practised, 
under  the  circumstances,  was  entirely  pardonable ; 
but  in  his  reply  he  gave  full  swing  to  his  imagina 
tion,  and  overstated  the  American  armament  by  ex 
actly  doubling  it,  stating  that  the  Americans  were 
armed  with  28-pounders  and  full  of  men.  At  once 
L?  Insurgent  was  recalled  from  the  chase,  much  to 
the  chagrin  of  her  captain,  who  stated  that  les 
Am'ericains  did  not  carry  a  gun  heavier  than  six 
pounds,  for  he  had  been  close  enough  to  see  them. 


THE   "  CONSTITUTION  "   AND   THE    "  JAVA  "  TJ 

St.  Laurent  forgave  Bainbridge  the  ruse,  and  treated 
him  with  great  consideration. 

After  being  in  prison  for  some  time,  owing  to 
negotiations,  Bainbridge  was  sent  to  the  United 
States  in  his  own  vessel,  which  was  filled  with  lib 
erated  American  prisoners. 

Upon  his  return  to  his  country  he  was  promoted  to 
the  rank  of  master-commander,  and  put  in  command 
of  the  Norfolk,  the  ship  he  had  saved.  For  over 
a  year  he  cruised  in  the  West  Indies,  meeting  with 
many  adventures,  of  which  there  is  not  space  here 
to  tell,  and  in  1800,  at  the  age  of  twenty-six,  he  was 
given  the  highest  rank  then  in  our  navy,  that  of 
captain,  and  appointed  to  the  command  of  the 
George  Washington,  with  the  duty,  much  against  his 
grain,  before  him,  of  carrying  tribute  to  the  Bey  of 
Algiers.  He  fulfilled  this  mission;  but  there  was 
not  an  end  of  it,  as  he  was  forced  by  circumstances 
to  place  his  vessel  at  the  disposal  of  the  barbaric 
potentate,  and  to  conduct  a  mission  for  him — no  less 
than  carrying  an  ambassador  and  his  suite,  number 
ing  some  two  hundred  persons,  to  Constantinople, 
the  Bey  wishing  to  conciliate  the  government  of  the 
Sublime  Porte. 

Despite  his  remonstrances,  Bainbridge  was  com 
pelled  to  do  this,  or  the  safety  of  every  American  in 
Algiers  would  have  been  in  jeopardy,  in  addition  to 
which  the  Bey  declared  he  would  immediately  make 
war  upon  the  United  States.  This  disagreeable 
duty  was  performed,  and  the  George  Washington  was 


78  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE  WAR  OF    l8l2 

the  first  vessel  to  fly  the  flag  of  the  United  States 
under  the  walls  of  Constantinople.  The  stars  and 
stripes  had  never  been  seen  there  before ;  and  as  the 
name  United  States  signified  nothing  to  the  gov 
ernor  of  the  Porte,  Bainbridge  had  to  explain  that 
he  came  from  the  New  World  that  Columbus  had 
discovered. 

On  the  2ist  of  January,  1801,  Bainbridge  was 
again  in  Algiers.  He  declined,  however,  to  anchor 
in  the  harbor,  as  it  was  evident  that  the  wily  Bey  was 
not  to  be  trusted.  Later  in  this  year  Bainbridge  was 
transferred  from  the  command  of  the  George  Wash 
ington  to  the  Essex,  which  was  one  of  a  squadron  of 
four  vessels,  consisting  of  the  President,  the  Phila 
delphia,  and  the  schooner  Enterprise,  under  the  com 
mand  of  Commodore  Richard  Dale,  whose  object 
was  to  protect  American  merchant  ships  from  the 
depredation  of  the  Tripolitan  corsairs.  Bainbridge 
was  employed  convoying  merchantmen  through  the 
Strait  of  Gibraltar  until  the  spring  of  1802,  when, 
his  vessel  being  in  need  of  repairs,  he  was  ordered 
home.  At  once  he  was  appointed  to  the  command 
of  the  Philadelphia,  to  take  up  again  the  service  he 
had  left.  On  the  26th  of  August,  not  far  from  the 
strait,  Bainbridge  fell  in  with  two  suspicious  sail — 
one  a  brig,  and  the  other,  apparently,  one  of  the  hated 
corsairs.  He  hailed  them,  and  found  that  the  brig 
was  an  American,  and  the  other  a  Moorish  vessel — 
the  Meshtoha.  Searching  the  latter,  he  found  the 
officers  and  the  crew  of  the  brig  under  the  hold, 


THE  "CONSTITUTION"  AND  THE  "JAVA"        79 

they  having  been  captured  nine  days  before.  He 
retook  the  brig,  placed  her  crew  once  more  on  board 
of  her,  and  made  a  prize  of  the  Tripolitan.  This  capt 
ure  was  a  decided  check  to  Moorish  depredations. 
On  the  2ist  of  October,  while  Bainbridge  was  cruis 
ing  off  the  harbor  of  Tripoli,  sailing  after  one  of  the 
pirates,  he  unfortunately  ran  on  a  ledge  of  rock  that 
was  not  down  on  the  map  which  he  possessed.  All 
efforts  to  force  the  Philadelphia  off  the  reef  were  un 
successful,  although  everything  was  done  to  accom 
plish  this ;  and  after  being  subjected  for  five  hours 
to  the  fire  of  numerous  gunboats,  a  council  of  officers 
was  called,  and  it  was  decided  to  surrender  the  ship 
as  the  only  means  of  preserving  the  lives  of  her  peo 
ple.  After  this  followed  the  long  confinement,  dur 
ing  which  Bainbridge  saw  from  his  prison-cell  the  at 
tempts  of  the  American  fleet  under  Preble  to  rescue 
him,  and  the  destruction  of  the  Philadelphia  at  last 
Shortly  before  the  peace  was  made  he  was  allowed 
to  visit  Treble's  fleet,  under  pledge  of  his  word  of 
honor  to  return,  although  the  Bashaw  exacted  that 
he  should  leave  a  hostage.  He  returned  to  his  con 
finement,  unable  to  effect  conclusions  satisfactory  to 
the  Turk  and  to  Commodore  Preble;  but  in  1805 
the  Tripolitans  gave  in,  the  prisoners  were  exchanged 
after  their  nineteen  months  of  painful  captivity,  and 
Bainbridge  returned  to  the  United  States,  where  he 
was  greeted  with  the  warmest  sympathy  and  ex 
onerated  for  the  loss  of  the  Philadelphia  by  a  Court 
of  Inquiry.  After  making  successful  cruises  in  va- 


80  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE   WAR   OF    1 8 12 

rious  commands,  Bainbridge,  being  in  America  at 
the  time  war  was  considered  imminent  between  this 
country  and  England,  hastened  to  Washington  and 
appeared  before  the  Cabinet,  and,  with  Commodore 
Stewart,  successfully  urged  the  rehabilitation  of  our 
little  navy,  that,  owing  to  the  mistaken  policy  then 
in  force,  had  been  allowed  to  fall  into  sad  decay. 
Delighted  at  the  result,  he  returned  to  Boston,  where 
he  took  command  of  the  navy-yard  at  Charlestown, 
which  position  he  held  at  the  time  of  the  declara 
tion  of  war  against  Great  Britain  in  1812. 

But,  to  quote  from  the  American  Naval  Biography, 
by  John  Frost,  "  it  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  one  so 
adventurous  as  Bainbridge  could  be  satisfied  to  re 
main  on  shore  comparatively  inactive  when  danger 
and  glory  were  to  be  courted  on  the  sea."  Applying 
for  the  command  of  a  frigate,  the  Constellation,  38, 
was  placed  at  his  service;  but  his  arrangements 
were  not  completed  when  Captain  Hull  arrived  in 
Boston  harbor  in  the  Constitution,  after  his  victory 
over  the  Guerriere.  Owing  to  some  private  affairs 
that  demanded  his  immediate  attention,  Hull  was 
obliged  to  resign  his  command,  and  Bainbridge,  at 
his  own  request,  was  transferred  to  "  Old  Ironsides." 
The  Essex  and  the  Hornet  also  were  placed  under 
his  orders,  the  former  under  command  of  Captain 
David  Porter,  and  the  latter  under  the  brave  Law 
rence.  On  October  26th,  1812,  the  Hornet  and  the 
Constitution  sailed  out  to  sea,  bound  for  the  Cape 
Verd  Islands.  The  Essex,  then  being  in  the  Dela- 


THE   "  CONSTITUTION  "  AND   THE  "JAVA"  8 1 

ware,  was  ordered  to  join  them  there ;  but  circum 
stances  prevented  her  from  carrying  this  out,  al 
though  Porter  did  his  best  to  find  his  superior 
officer  and  report. 

Thus  we  find,  in  the  latter  part  of  December,  1812, 
the  old  frigate  Constitution  cruising  in  southern 
waters  off  the  coast  of  Brazil.  Her  brave  little  con 
sort,  the  Hornet,  she  had  left  blockading  the  Bonne 
Citoyenne,  a  British  sloop  of  war,  in  the  harbor  of 
Bahia.  Every  day  the  Hornet  dared  the  Englishman 
to  leave  her  anchorage  and  meet  her,  broadside  to 
broadside,  in  the  open  sea  beyond  the  neutral  limits 
and  the  protection  of  Brazilian  guns.  Writes  Captain 
Lawrence  of  the  Yankee  sloop  to  Captain  Green 
of  the  Bonne  Citoyenne:  "  I  pledge  my  honor  that 
neither  the  Constitution  nor  any  other  American 
vessel  shall  interfere." 

And,  as  if  to  emphasize  this  announcement,  the 
Constitution  spread  her  sails  and  sailed  off  to  the 
southward,  Bainbridge's  last  message  to  the  watching 
Lawrence  being,  "  May  glory  and  success  attend 
you !"  But  Captain  Green  was  prudent;  the  English 
vessel  kept  to  the  harbor  with  her  load  of  specie  and 
her  superior  armament,  and  Bainbridge  it  was  who 
won  "  the  glory  and  success."  Surely  the  Constitu 
tion  was  launched  on  a  lucky  day.  About  sixty 
hours  after  leaving  the  Island  of  San  Salvador  be 
hind  her,  the  Constitution  was  again  clearing  decks 
for  action,  and  the  men  were  cheering  as  they 
jumped  to  the  guns.  The  following  account  is 


82  NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE  WAR  OF   1 8 12 

compiled  from  the  Constitutions  log  and  Commo 
dore  Bainbridge's  diary : 

It  was  the  2Qth  of  December;  the  vessel  was  in 
13°  S.  latitude  and  38°  W.  longitude,  about  ten 
leagues  distant  from  the  coast  of  Brazil.  It  was  9 
A.M.  when  two  strange  sails  were  discovered  on  her 
weather  bow.  At  10  the  strange  sails  were  discov 
ered  to  be  ships.  One  of  them  stood  in  for  the  land; 
the  other  stood  offshore  towards  the  Constitution. 
At  10  Commodore  Bainbridge  tacked  ship  to  the 
northward  and  westward,  and  stood  for  the  sail  ap 
proaching  him.  At  n  JSM.  he  tacked  to  the  south 
ward  and  eastward,  hauling  up  the  mainsail  and 
taking  in  the  royals.  At  11.30  made  the  private 
signal  for  the  day,  which  was  not  answered;  then 
the  commodore  set  mainsail  and  royals,  to  entice  the 
strange  sail  off  from  the  neutral  ground,  and  separate 
her  from  the  sail  in  company,  which,  however,  was 
not  necessary,  as  the  other,  with  everything  drawing, 
was  making  up  the  coast. 

At  12  the  American  ensign  and  pendant  were 
hoisted  on  board  the  Constitution.  At  fifteen  min 
utes  past  12  the  strange  sail  hoisted  an  English 
ensign,  and  displayed  a  signal  at  her  mainmast. 

At  a  quarter-past  one,  the  ship  in  sight  proving 
to  be  an  English  frigate,  and  being  sufficiently  dis 
tant  from  land,  Commodore  Bainbridge  ordered  the 
mainsails  and  royals  to  be  taken  in,  tacked  ship,  and 
stood  for  the  enemy,  who  soon  bore  down  with  an 
intention  of  raking  the  Constitution,  which  the 


THE  "CONSTITUTION"  AND  THE  "JAVA"         83 

latter  avoided  by  wearing.  At  2  P.M.  the  British 
ship  was  within  half  a  mile  of  the  Constitution,  and 
to  windward.  She  now  hauled  down  her  colors,  ex 
cept  a  union-jack  at  the  mizzenmast-head.  This  in 
duced  Commodore  Bainbridge  to  order  a  gun  to  be 
fired  ahead  of  her,  to  make  her  show  her  colors, 
This  was  succeeded  by  the  whole  of  the  Constitu 
tions  broadside.  Immediately  the  enemy  hoisted 
colors,  and  at  once  returned  the  fire.  A  general 
action  now  commenced  with  round  and  grape  shot. 
But  the  British  frigate  kept  at  a  much  greater  dis 
tance  than  the  commodore  wished.  He,  however, 
could  not  bring  her  to  closer  action  without  exposing 
his  vessel  to  be  several  times  raked.  Both  vessels 
for  some  time  manoeuvred  to  obtain  a  position  that 
would  enable  them  to  rake  or  avoid  being  raked, 
and  it  was  evident  that  the  Englishman  was  cautious 
and  well  manned.  In  the  early  part  of  the  engage 
ment  the  wheel  of  the  Constitution  was  shot  away; 
but  so  well  was  she  handled  from  below  that  her 
movements  were  hardly  retarded.  Commodore  Bain- 
bridge  now  determined  to  close  with  the  British 
vessel,  notwithstanding  in  so  doing  he  should  expose 
his  ship  to  be  several  times  raked.  He  ordered  the 
fore  and  main  sails  to  be  set,  and  luffed  up  close  to 
the  enemy  in  such  manner  that  his  jib-boom  got 
foul  of  the  Englishman's  mizzen-rigging.  About 
3  o'clock  the  head  of  the  British  vessel's  bowsprit 
and  jib-boom  were  shot  away,  and  in  the  space  of 
an  hour  her  foremast  went  by  the  board  ;  her  main- 


84  NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE  WAR  OF   1 8 12 

topmast  just  above  the  cap,  her  gaff  and  spanker- 
boom  were  shot  away,  and  her  mainmast  went 
nearly  by  the  board. 

About  4  o'clock,  the  fire  of  the  British  vessel  being 
completely  silenced,  and  her  colors  in  the  main-rig 
ging  being  down,  she  was  supposed  to  have  struck. 
The  courses  of  the  Constitution  were  now  hauled  on 
board,  to  shoot  ahead,  in  order  to  repair  her  rigging, 
which  was  very  much  cut.  The  British  vessel  was 
left  in  bad  condition ;  but  her  flag  was  soon  after 
discovered  to  be  still  flying.  The  Constitution,  how 
ever,  hove  to,  to  repair  some  of  her  damages.  About 
a  quarter  of  an  hour  after,  the  mainmast  of  the  Brit 
ish  vessel  went  by  the  board.  At  a  quarter  of  five  or 
thereabouts  the  Constitution  wore,  and  stood  for  the 
British  vessel,  and  got  close  to  her  athwart  her  bows, 
in  a  very  effectual  position  for  raking,  when  she 
very  prudently  struck  her  flag.  Had  she  suffered 
the  broadside  to  rake  her,  her  additional  loss  would 
have  been  extremely  great,  for  she  lay  quite  an  un 
manageable  wreck  upon  the  water. 

After  the  British  frigate  struck,  the  Constitution 
wore,  and  reefed  topsails.  One  of  the  only  two  re 
maining  boats  out  of  eight  was  then  hoisted  out, 
and  Lieutenant  Parker  of  the  Constitution  was  sent 
to  take  possession  of  the  frigate.  She  proved  to  be 
His  Britannic  Majesty's  frigate  Java,  rating  38  but 
carrying  49  guns.  She  was  manned  by  upwards  of 
four  hundred  men,  and  was  commanded  by  Captain 
Lambert,  a  very  distinguished  naval  officer.  He  was 


THE  "CONSTITUTION"  AND  THE  "JAVA"         85 

mortally  wounded.  The  action  continued,  from  the 
time  the  firing  commenced  till  the  time  it  ceased, 
one  hour  and  fifty-five  minutes. 

The  Java  was  on  fire  and  leaking ;  nothing  could 
have  saved  her  or  the  souls  on  board  if  the  Constitu 
tion  had  been  disabled. 

The  Constitution  had  9  men  killed  and  25  wounded. 
The  Java  had  60  killed  and  101  certainly  wounded; 
but  by  a  letter  written  on  board  the  Constitution 
by  one  of  the  officers  of  the  Java,  and  accidentally 
found,  it  is  evident  her  loss  must  have  been  much 
greater.  The  unknown  writer  states  it  to  have 
been  60  killed  and  1 70  wounded. 

The  Java  had  her  own  full  complement  of  men, 
and  upwards  of  one  hundred  supernumeraries  for 
British  ships  in  the  East  Indies.  Her  force  in 
number  of  men,  at  the  commencement  of  the  action, 
was  probably  much  greater  than  the  officers  of  the 
Constitution  were  enabled  to  ascertain.  Her  offi 
cers  were  extremely  cautious  in  giving  out  the  num 
ber  of  her  crew,  but  by  her  quarter  bill  she  had  one 
man  more  stationed  at  each  gun  than  the  Constitu 
tion.  The  Java  was  an  important  ship.  She  had 
been  fitted  out  in  the  most  complete  manner  to  carry 
Lieutenant-General  Hislop  and  staff  to  Bombay,  of 
which  place  he  had  been  appointed  governor,  and 
several  naval  officers  for  different  vessels  in  the 
East  Indies.  She  had  despatches  for  St.  Helena, 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  for  every  British  es 
tablishment  in  the  Indian  and  Chinese  seas.  She 


86  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF   THE  WAR   OF    l8l2 

had  in  her  hold  copper  for  a  74  and  for  two  brigs, 
building  at  Bombay. 

The  great  distance  from  the  United  States  and 
the  disabled  state  of  the  Java  precluded  any  at 
tempt  being  made  to  bring  her  to  a  home  port. 
The  commodore  therefore  determined  to  burn  her ; 
she  was  set  on  fire,  and  the  Constitution  sailed  away. 
Shortly  after  dark  the  British  ship  blew  up.  The 
prisoners  were  all  landed  at  San  Salvador  and  pa 
roled,  and,  sad  to  tell,  the  commander  of  the  Java, 
Captain  Lambert,  died  soon  after  he  was  put  on 
shore.  The  British  officers  paroled  were:  i  lieu 
tenant-general,  i  major,  and  i  captain  of  land  ser 
vice;  in  the  naval  service,  i  post-captain,  i  master 
and  commander,  5  lieutenants,  3  lieutenants  of  ma 
rines,  i  surgeon,  2  assistant  surgeons,  i  purser,  15 
midshipmen,  i  gunner,  i  boatswain,  i  master,  i  car 
penter,  and  2  captain's  clerks;  likewise,  323  petty 
officers,  seamen,  and  marines — making  altogether 
361  men;  besides  9  Portuguese  seamen  liberated, 
and  8  passengers,  private  characters,  who  were  per 
mitted  to  land  without  restraint. 

Lieutenant  Aylwin,  of  the  Constitution,  was  se 
verely  wounded  during  the  action.  When  the 
boarders  were  called  to  repel  boarders,  he  mounted 
the  quarter-deck  hammock  cloths,  and,  in  the  act 
of  firing  his  pistol  at  the  enemy,  he  received  a  ball 
through  his  shoulder.  Notwithstanding  the  se 
verity  of  his  wound,  he  continued  at  his  post  until 
the  enemy  struck.  A  few  days  afterwards,  when  an 


THE   "  CONSTITUTION  "  AND   THE   "  JAVA  "  87 

engagement  was  expected  with  a  ship,  which  after 
wards  proved  to  be  the  Hornet,  he  left  his  bed  and 
repaired  to  quarters,  though  laboring  under  a  con 
siderable  debility,  and  under  the  most  excruciating 
pain.  He  died  on  the  28th  of  January,  at  sea.  The 
following  is  the  official  account  that  Commodore 
Bainbridge  made  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy.  It 
is  as  concise  and  dramatic  as  all  the  reports  of  our 
naval  heroes  were  in  those  days,  and  as  he  wrote 
Bainbridge  was  suffering  from  serious  wounds  and 
in  danger  of  his  life : 

"  I  have  the  honor  to  inform  you  that  on  the  29th  of  December, 
at  2  P.M.,  in  south  latitude  13°  6',  west  longitude  38°,  and  about  ten 
leagues  distant  from  the  coast  of  Brazil,  I  fell  in  with,  and  captured, 
His  Britannic  Majesty's  frigate  Java,  of  49  guns,  and  upwards  of 
four  hundred  men,  commanded  by  Captain  Lambert,  a  very  distin 
guished  officer.  The  action  lasted  one  hour  and  fifty-five  minutes, 
in  which  time  the  enemy  was  completely  dismantled,  not  having 
a  spar  of  any  kind  standing. 

"  The  loss  on  board  the  Constitution  was  9  killed  and  25  wounded. 
The  enemy  had  60  killed  and  101  wounded  (among  the  latter,  Cap 
tain  Lambert,  mortally),  but,  by  the  enclosed  letter,  written  on  board 
this  ship  by  one  of  the  officers  of  ihe/ava,  and  accidentally  found, 
it  is  evident  that  the  enemy's  wounded  must  have  been  much 
greater  than  as  above  stated,  and  who  must  have  died  of  their 
wounds  previous  to  their  being  removed.  (The  letter  stated  60 
killed  and  170  wounded.) .  .  . 

"  Should  I  attempt  to  do  justice,  by  representation,  to  the  brave 
and  good  conduct  of  my  officers  and  crew,  I  should  fail  in  the  at 
tempt  ;  therefore,  suffice  it  to  say  that  the  whole  of  their  conduct 
was  such  as  to  meet  my  highest  encomiums.  I  beg  leave  to  recom 
mend  the  officers,  particularly,  to  the  notice  of  the  government,  as, 
also,  the  unfortunate  seamen  who  were  wounded,  and  the  families 
of  those  brave  men  who  fell  in  action. 

"  The  great  distance  from  our  own  coast,  and  the  perfect  wreck 


88  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE  WAR  OF    l8l2 

we  made  of  the  enemy's  frigate,  forbade  every  idea  of  attempting 
to  take  her  to  the  United  States.  I  had,  therefore,  no  alternative 
but  burning  her,  which  I  did  on  the  3ist,  after  receiving  all  the 
prisoners  and  their  baggage,  which  was  very  hard  work,  only  hav 
ing  two  boats  left  out  of  eight,  and  not  one  left  on  board  the  Java. 
"  On  blowing  up  the  frigate  Java  I  proceeded  to  St.  Salvador, 
where  I  landed  all  the  prisoners  on  their  parole,  to  return  to  Eng 
land,  and  there  remain  until  regularly  exchanged,  and  not  to  serve 
in  their  professional  capacities  in  any  place  or  in  any  manner  what 
soever  against  the  United  States  of  America  until  their  exchange 
shall  be  effected." 

Upon  the  return  of  Commodore  Bainbridge  to 
the  United  States  he  was  everywhere  received  with 
the  greatest  joy.  Congress  voted  #50,000  to  him 
and  his  crew,  and  ordered  a  gold  medal  to  be  struck 
for  him  and  silver  ones  for  each  of  his  officers. 
New  York  presented  him  with  the  freedom  of  the 
city,  and  many  banquets  were  given  in  his  honor. 

A  pathetic  and  dramatic  incident  occurred  when 
the  wounded  Captain  Lambert  was  being  moved  off 
the  ship  at  San  Salvador.  He  lay  on  the  deck  suf 
fering  intense  pain,  when  Bainbridge,  supported  by 
two  officers,  approached.  Bending  down  with  great 
difficulty,  he  placed  Captain  Lambert's  side-arms  on 
the  cot  on  which  the  latter  lay,  saying  that  the 
sword  of  so  brave  a  man  should  never  be  taken  from 
him ;  then  the  two  wounded  commanders  grasped 
hands  in  mutual  respect  and  admiration.  The  cor 
respondence  between  Lieutenant -General  Hislop 
and  Commodore  Bainbridge,  after  Lambert's  death, 
shows  plainly  the  lofty  spirit  that  existed  then  be 
tween  great-minded  enemies. 


VI 

THE   -COMET"— PRIVATEER 

[January  i4th,  1813] 


DURING  the  war  of  1812  the  American  pri 
vateers  sent  home  to  United  States  ports 
so  many  hundreds  of  British  vessels  that 
the  printed  list  makes  quite  a  showing  by  itself. 
The  names  of  the  prizes  taken,  their  tonnage  and 
value,  were  published  in  Nikss  Weekly  Register,  of 
Baltimore,  and  each  week  during  the  progress  of  the 
war  the  number  grew,  until  it  seemed  that  the  stock 
of  Laughing  Lassies,  Bouncing  Besses,  Arabellas, 
Lords  something-or-other,  Ladies  this  or  Countesses 
of  that,  must  surely  be  exhausted.  In  they  came  to 
Baltimore,  to  New  York,  or  Boston  by  the  scores — 
brigs  and  barks,  schooners  and  ships,  sloops  and 
transports.  Some  were  next  to  worthless,  some 
were  valuable,  and  some  were  veritable  floating 
mines  of  wealth ;  some  were  heavily  armed  and  had 
been  captured  after  fierce  fighting;  others  had  been 
picked  up  like  ripe  fruit  and  sent  home  under  prize- 
masters.  Each  one,  however,  was  stamped  with 
the  seal  of  her  captor,  who  might  be  cruising  any 
where  from  the  China  Sea  to  the  English  Channel. 
Eager  for  racing,  chasing,  or  fighting,  the  American 
privateers  were  watching  the  highways  of  British 
commerce.  What  did  they  care  for  armed  consorts 
or  guard-ships  ?  They  could  show  a  clean  pair  of 


92  NAVAL  ACTIONS    OF   THE   WAR   OF    l8l2 

heels  to  the  fastest  cruisers  that  carried  the  red 
cross  of  St.  George,  or  turn  to  and  fight  out  of  all 
proportion  to  their  appearance  or  size — and  this  lat 
ter  was  proved  true  in  many  well-recorded  instances. 
They  were  the  kestrels  and  the  game-cocks  of  the 
sea.  The  names  of  some  of  them  were  familiar  to 
every  school -boy  eighty- odd  years  ago — Revenge, 
Atlas,  Young  Eagle,  Montgomery,  Teazer,  Decatur, 
General  Armstrong,  Comet.  Here  were  some  tight 
little  craft  that  caused  their  powder-monkeys  fairly 
to  smell  of  prize-money  on  their  return  from  each 
successful  cruise. 

All  of  these  vessels  were  oversparred,  overarmed, 
and  overmanned.  It  was  the  privateersman's  busi 
ness  to  take  risks,  and  many  paid  the  penalty  for 
rashness ;  but  their  fearlessness  and  impudence 
were  often  most  astounding,  and  their  self-reliance 
actually  superb. 

Up  to  the  end  of  the  first  year  of  the  war  Mary 
land  alone  had  sent  out  more  than  forty  armed  ves 
sels,  and,  as  a  writer  in  the  Weekly  Register  naively 
remarks, "  not  one  up  to  date  has  been  even  in  dan 
ger  of  being  captured,  though  frequently  chased  by 
British  vessels  of  war." 

But  to  come  to  the  affair  of  the  Comet,  privateer, 
of  Baltimore.  Her  name  had  become  familiar  all 
along  the  Atlantic  coast,  her  "  winnings  "  were  anch 
ored  in  almost  every  harbor,  and  she  could  have 
the  pick  of  the  seamen  lucky  enough  to  be  ashore 
at  any  place  where  she  put  in.  Her  'tween-decks 


THE   "  COMET  " —  PRIVATEER  93 

were  crowded  with  extra  crews  and  prize-masters  to 
man  her  captures  when  she  sailed  out  again. 

The  Comet  was  commanded  by  Captain  Boyle, 
an  intrepid  sailor,  and  a  man  liked  and  trusted  by 
his  crew  of  120  well -trained  tars.  She  was  as 
handy  as  a  whip,  and  sailed  like  a  cup  -  defender. 
She  carried  6  guns  in  a  broadside,  a  swivel,  and  a 
gun  amidships. 

It  was  on  the  Qth  of  January,  1813,  that  Captain 
Boyle  spoke  a  Portuguese  coasting -vessel  which 
had  just  left  the  harbor  of  Pernambuco,  Brazil,  and 
learned  that  in  the  harbor  were  three  English 
vessels  loaded  and  ready  to  sail  for  Europe — one 
large  armed  ship  and  two  armed  brigs. 

Upon  hearing  this  welcome  news  Captain  Boyle 
shortened  sail,  and  tacked  back  and  forth  for  five 
days,  waiting  and  watching.  On  the  i4th  of  the 
month  his  sharp  lookout  was  rewarded  by  the  sight 
of  not  three  but  four  sail  coming  offshore  before 
the  wind.  The  Comet  sheered  away  to  the  south 
ward,  and  lay  by,  to  give  the  strangers  an  oppor 
tunity  of  passing  her.  When  they  had  done  so, 
she  put  after  them.  It  was  quite  late  in  the  after 
noon,  a  tremendous  sea  was  running,  and  a  freshen 
ing  breeze  lifted  the  Comet  up  the  sides  of  the  huge 
waves  and  raced  her  down  into  the  hollows.  She 
overhauled  the  other  vessels  as  if  they  had  been 
anchored.  They  kept  close  together,  rising  and 
then  sinking  hulls  out  of  sight  in  the  great  seas. 
They  evidently  had  no  fear  of  the  little  vessel  bear- 


94  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE   WAR   OF    l8l2 

ing  down  upon  them,  for  they  made  no  effort  to 
spread  their  lighter  sails.  The  Comet  was  under  a 
press  of  canvas,  and  the  water  was  roaring  and  tum 
bling  every  now  and  then  over  her  forward  rails. 

At  six  o'clock,  or  thereabouts,  the  reason  for  the 
leisurely  movements  of  the  chase  was  discovered — 
one  of  the  vessels  was  seen  to  be  a  large  man-of-war 
brig.  She  was  hanging  back,  evidently  awaiting 
the  American's  approach.  The  speed  of  the  Comet 
was  not  lessened,  not  a  stitch  was  taken  in,  but 
quickly  the  guns  were  loaded  with  round  shot  and 
grape,  and  the  decks  were  cleared  for  action.  Then 
Captain  Boyle  hoisted  the  American  flag.  The 
other  hoisted  Portuguese  colors.  As  the  Comet 
sheered  up  close,  the  stranger  hailed  and  requested 
the  privilege  of  sending  a  boat  on  board,  saying  he 
wished  to  speak  with  the  American  captain  on  a 
matter  of  importance. 

Accordingly,  the  Comet  hove  to,  and  her  com 
mander  received  the  Portuguese  officer  a  few  min 
utes  later  at  the  companion-way.  The  conversation, 
in  view  of  subsequent  proceedings,  must  have  been 
extremely  interesting.  The  officer  was  a  little 
taken  aback  when  he  saw  the  men  standing  stripped 
to  the  waist  about  the  guns,  the  look  of  determina 
tion  and  the  man -o'- war  appearance  everywhere. 
But  he  doffed  his  hat,  and  informed  Captain  Boyle 
sententiously  that  the  vessel  he  had  just  left  be 
longed  to  His  Majesty  of  Portugal,  that  she  carried 
twenty  32-pounders  and  a  crew  of  165  men. 


THE   "  COMET  " —  PRIVATEER  95 

Captain  Boyle  replied  that  he  had  admired  her 
appearance  greatly. 

The  Portuguese  officer  then  went  on  to  say  that 
the  three  other  vessels  ahead  were  English,  and 
were  under  the  protection  of  the  commander  of 
his  brig. 

"  By  what  right?"  answered  the  captain  of  the 
Comet.  "  This  is  an  American  cruiser.  We  are 
on  the  high  seas,  the  highway  of  all  nations,  and 
surely  it  belongs  to  America  as  much  as  to  the 
King  of  Great  Britain  or  the  King  of  Portugal." 

The  officer  upon  this  asked  to  see  the  Cornel's 
authority  from  her  government.  This  Captain 
Boyle  courteously  showed  to  him.  After  reading 
the  papers  carefully,  the  officer  began  to  advise  the 
American  captain  in  a  manner  that  provoked  the 
following  reply :  "  I  told  him,"  writes  Boyle,  in  the 
log-book  of  the  Comet,  "  that  I  was  determined  to 
exercise  the  authority  I  had,  and  capture  those  ves 
sels  if  I  could.  He  said  that  he  should  be  sorry  if 
anything  disagreeable  took  place ;  that  they  were 
ordered  to  protect  them,  and  should  do  so.  I  an 
swered  him  that  I  should  equally  feel  regret  that 
anything  disagreeable  should  occur;  that  if  it  did 
he  would  be  the  aggressor,  as  I  did  not  intend  to 
fire  upon  him  first ;  that  if  he  did  attempt  to  op 
pose  me  or  to  fire  upon  me  when  trying  to  take 
those  English  vessels,  we  must  try  our  respective 
strengths,  as  I  was  well  prepared  for  such  an 
event  and  should  not  shrink  from  it.  He  then  in- 


96  NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE  WAR   OF    l8l2 

formed  me  that  those  vessels  were  armed  and  very 
strong.  I  told  him  that  I  valued  their  strength  but 
little,  and  would  very  soon  put  it  to  the  test" 

What  a  fine  old  fighter  this  Baltimore  captain 
must  have  been !  Here  were  four  vessels,  each  of 
the  three  smaller  ones  as  large  as  his  own,  and  one 
nearly  twice  as  large,  against  him  ;  the  Portuguese 
mounting  twenty  guns,  the  English  ship  fourteen, 
and  the  smaller  brigs  ten  guns  apiece.  Fifty-four 
guns  against  fourteen.  But  the  American  was  un 
daunted,  and  the  Portuguese  lieutenant  rowed  back 
to  his  ship. 

Shortly  afterwards  the  brig  hailed  again,  asking 
Captain  Boyle  to  lower  his  boat  and  come  on  board. 

"  It  is  growing  too  dark !"  shouted  Captain  Boyle 
through  his  speaking-trumpet,  and  he  squared  his 
yards  and  made  all  sail  for  the  nearest  English 
vessel — the  big  ship. 

So  fast  a  sailer  was  the  Comet  and  so  quick  in 
stays  that  she  could  shuttle  back  and  forth  through 
the  little  fleet  in  a  manner  that,  to  say  the  least,  must 
have  been  confusing  to  the  others.  The  moon  was 
now  coming  out  bright  as  the  sun  went  down ;  but 
little  of  daylight  was  left. 

The  Comet  came  up  handily  with  the  English  ship 
(the  brigs  were  sailing  close  by),  and  Boyle  ordered 
her  to  back  her  main-topsail  or  he  would  fire  a  broad 
side  into  her.  So  great  was  the  headway  of  the 
privateer,  however,  that  she  shot  past,  and  had  to 
luff  about  the  other's  bows,  Boyle  again  hailing, 


THE   "  COMET  "—  PRIVATEER  97 

and   saying   he   was   coming  down   on    the   other 
side. 

The  man-of-war  brig  had  crowded  on  all  sail,  and 
was  hard  after  the  American ;  but  the  latter  now  let 
drive  her  broadside  at  the  ship  and  one  of  her  smaller 
consorts,  tacked  quickly,  and  then  found  the  man-of- 
war  close  alongside.  The  Portuguese,  disregarding 
the  policy  of  "minding  one's  own  business,"  opened 
up  her  broadside  upon  the  American.  The  Comet  re 
turned  this  with  tremendous  effect,  and,  tacking,  again 
let  go  her  starboard  battery  at  the  third  Englishman, 
who  was  now  closing  in.  Nothing  but  bad  gunnery 
and  good  sailing  must  have  saved  the  daring  little 
vessel  at  this  moment.  But  she  loaded  and  fired, 
and  the  enemy  appeared  to  be  confused  and  fright 
ened.  The  Comet  stuck  close  to  the  English  vessels, 
letting  go  whole  broadsides  into  them  at  point-blank 
distance,  and  firing  at  the  man-of-war  whenever  she 
came  in  range.  The  British  vessels  separated  at 
last  to  give  their  "  protector  "  a  better  chance,  but 
it  availed  them  very  little.  By  the  time  the  Portu 
guese  was  ready  to  fire  the  Comet  had  spun  about  on 
her  heel  and  was  out  of  danger.  It  was  the  clever 
boxer  in  a  crowd  of  clumsy  bumpkins.  At  eleven 
o'clock  the  big  ship  surrendered,  being  cut  almost  to 
pieces  and  quite  unmanageable.  It  was  broad  moon 
light  ;  but  the  moon  would  soon  go  down,  and  in  the 
ensuing  darkness  Captain  Boyle  feared  the  others 
might  escape  him.  As  soon  as  the  ship  hauled  down 
,her  colors  he  gave  the  first  brig  a  broadside  that 


98  NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE  WAR  OF   1 8 12 

ripped  her  bulwarks  and  cut  away  her  running- 
gear.  Immediately  down  came  her  flag,  and  she 
surrendered  also.  She  proved  to  be  the  Bowes,  of 
Liverpool. 

The  sea  was  yet  running  very  high,  but  a  boat 
was  manned  and  lowered  away  with  a  prize -crew, 
and  made  straight  for  the  latest  capture.  When 
the  heavily  laden  boat  was  a  short  distance  from  the 
Comet,  around  the  bows  of  the  captured  ship  came 
the  man-of-wan  She  fired  a  broadside  at  the  row- 
boat,  and  nearly  swamped  it  there  and  then;  half  full 
of  water,  it  returned  to  the  Comet.  Taking  the  boat's 
crew  on  board  once  more,  the  privateer  headed  for 
the  Portuguese.  Captain  Boyle's  blood  was  now 
up  with  a  vengeance,  and  in  the  hot  exchange  that 
followed  the  bumptious  foreigner  had  so  much  the 
worst  of  it  that  he  withdrew  from  the  engagement, 
and  left  the  third  English  vessel  to  her  fate.  Like 
the  others,  the  last  hauled  down  her  flag  to  save 
herself  from  further  punishment.  The  situation 
was  unusual.  It  was  almost  pitch-dark,  and,  heav 
ing  about  to  leeward,  the  three  captured  vessels  were 
hardly  discernible.  The  Bowes  was  taken  possession 
of,  she  being  the  nearest,  and  the  captain  of  the  ship 
George,  of  Liverpool,  reported  that  he  could  hardly 
keep  his  vessel  afloat.  The  other  brig,  the  Gambier, 
of  Hull,  was  in  much  the  same  condition.  Captain 
Boyle  determined  to  stand  by  them  both  until  day 
break. 

As  soon  as  it  was  light,  it  was  seen  that  the  little 


THE  "  COMET  "—  PRIVATEER  99 

fleet  had  drifted  in  towards  land,  the  wind  having 
changed  during  the  early  morning.  The  Portu 
guese  had  once  more  joined  them,  and  made  a  feint 
of  desiring  to  fight  again.  The  Comet  sailed  to  meet 
her;  but  the  brig  turned  tail,  signalled  the  George 
and  the  Gambier  to  make  for  shore,  and  followed  as 
quickly  as  she  could.  Captain  Boyle  did  not  over 
take  them,  and  the  three  reached  Pernambuco  in 
safety — the  ship  in  a  sinking  condition,  the  brig  like 
wise,  and  the  cockpit  of  the  man-of-war,  which  was 
badly  cut  up  below  and  aloft,  filled  with  dead  and 
wounded.  The  Comet  and  the  Bowes  reached  the 
United  States  in  safety,  the  former  making  several 
more  important  captures,  and  sailing  through  the 
entire  English  blockading  squadron  in  the  Chesa 
peake  Bay  to  her  wharf  in  the  city  of  Baltimore. 


VII 

THE   "HORNET"   AND  THE   " PEACOCK" 
[February  24th,  1813] 


MEDAL    PRESENTED    BY    CONGRESS   TO 
CAPTAIN    JAMES    LAWRENCE 


AFTER  Commodore  Bainbridge  sailed  south 
ward  from  Bahia  on  the  cruise  in  which 
he  fell  in  with  and  captured  His  Britan 
nic  Majesty's  frigate  Java,  Captain  Lawrence  of  the 
United  States  sloop  Hornet  had  hoped  to  coax  the 
Bonne  Citoyenne,  the  English  armed  ship  he  was 
blockading,  to  leave  the  safe  moorings  which  she 
kept  so  closely  in  the  harbor  of  San  Salvador.  Cap 
tain  Lawrence  prayed  each  day  that  she  might  vent 
ure  out  and  give  his  gunners  a  mark  worthy  of 
their  skill.  One  morning,  as  the  little  Hornet  was 
lifting  and  tugging  at  her  anchor  in  the  rough 
water  at  the  entrance  to  the  outer  harbor,  keep 
ing  a  watchful  eye  on  the  spars  of  the  Bonne  Cito- 
yenne  and  on  those  of  another  British  packet  of  1 2 
guns  that  lay  well  inshore,  a  huge  cloud  of  canvas 
came  in  sight  to  the  eastward.  Spar  and  sail  she 
rose  out  of  the  horizon  sky,  until  it  was  plainly 
seen  that  she  was  a  line  -  of  -  battle  ship  flying  the 
English  flag.  The  Montagu  (74)  had  heard  the 
news  of  the  Bonne  Citoyennes  plight,  word  having 
been  brought  to  her  as  she  lay  in  the  harbor  of 
Rio  Janeiro.  Immediately  she  had  set  sail  for  San 
Salvador  to  raise  the  blockade.  Reluctantly  Cap 
tain  Lawrence,  on  sight  of  her,  got  up  his  anchor 


104  NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE  WAR  OF   l8l2 

and  slipped  into  the  harbor.  He  did  not  stay  there 
long,  however,  and,  after  tacking  about  some  time, 
escaped  to  sea  that  same  night  at  nine  o'clock. 
There  were  no  ships  of  the  line  in  the  American 
navy  at  that  time,  and,  perforce,  the  only  thing  left 
for  any  of  our  cruisers  to  do  was  to  give  those  of 
the  enemy  the  widest  berth.  So  Lawrence,  in  the 
Hornet,  shifted  his  cruising-grounds  and  went  out 
into  blue  water.  On  the  4th  of  February,  1813,  he 
captured  the  British  brig  Resolution,  of  10  guns, 
and,  not  caring  to  man  her,  he  took  out  $23,000  in 
specie  and  set  her  on  fire.  Then  for  over  a  week 
the  Hornet  cruised  to  and  fro  off  the  coast  of  Maran- 
ham  without  sighting  a  single  sail.  On  the  22d  of 
February  Lawrence  stood  for  Demerara,  and  on  the 
24th  he  discovered  a  brig  off  to  leeward.  At  once 
he  gave  chase,  but  running  into  shallow  water,  and 
having  no  pilot,  he  had  to  haul  offshore,  much  to 
his  disgust,  as  the  other  vessel  made  her  way  in 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Demerara  River,  and  anchored 
close  to  a  small  fort  about  two  and  a  half  leagues 
from  the  outer  bar,  where  the  Hornet  had  been 
forced  to  come  about.  As  the  latter  had  done  so, 
however,  her  lookout  had  discovered  a  vessel  at 
anchor  half-way  in  towards  the  shore.  A  peep 
through  the  glass  showed  her  to  be  a  brig  of  war 
with  the  English  colors  flying.  Captain  Lawrence 
determined  to  get  at  her ;  but  to  do  this  he  had  to 
beat  to  windward  to  avoid  a  wide  shoal  on  which 
the  waves  were  breaking  furiously.  At  3  P.M.,  as 


THE  "HORNET"  AND  THE  "PEACOCK"         105 

he  had  about  made  up  his  mind  that  the  vessel  at 
anchor  and  the  Hornet  were  surely  to  try  conclu 
sions,  Lawrence  discovered  another  sail  on  his 
weather-quarter  and  edging  down  towards  him. 

In  a  few  minutes  over  an  hour  the  new-comer 
hoisted  English  colors  also,  and  was  seen  to  be  a 
large  man-o'-war  brig.  The  Hornet  cleared  for 
action.  As  was  usual  in  all  naval  actions  when  the 
wind  was  the  sole  motive  power,  both  vessels 
manoeuvred  for  a  time,  the  Hornet  trying  to  win  the 
advantage  of  the  weather-gage  from  her  antagonist. 
But  do  his  best  Lawrence  could  not  get  it  until 
another  hour  had  passed;  then  finding  that  the 
Hornet  was  a  better  sailer  than  the  English  brig,  he 
came  about.  The  two  vessels  passed  each  other 
on  different  tacks  at  the  distance  of  a  few  hundred 
feet — half  pistol-shot. 

Up  to  this  time  not  a  gun  had  been  fired  in  the 
affair.  But  as  they  came  abreast  they  exchanged 
broadsides,  the  Englishman  going  high,  but  the 
Hornet's  round  and  grape  playing  havoc  with  the 
enemy's  lower  rigging.  The  brig  held  on  for  a  few 
minutes,  and  then  Lawrence  discovered  her  to  be 
in  the  act  of  wearing.  He  seized  his  opportunity, 
bore  up,  and  receiving  the  starboard  broadside, 
which  did  him  little  damage,  he  took  a  position 
close  under  the  brig's  starboard  quarter.  So  well 
directed  was  the  vicious  fire  that  was  now  poured 
into  the  English  vessel  that  in  less  than  fifteen 
minutes  down  came  her  flag.  No  sooner  had  it 


106  NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE  WAR  OF   l8l2 

reached  the  deck,  however,  when  another  crawled 
up  in  the  fore-rigging.  It  was  an  ensign,  union 
down ;  the  brig  was  sinking.  The  sea  was  heavy, 
and  before  a  boat  could  be  lowered  down  came  the 
Englishman's  main-mast.  Lieutenant  Shubrick,  who 
had  been  on  the  Constitution  when  she  captured 
the  Guerrilre  and  the  Java,  put  out  in  one  of  the 
Hornefs  boats,  and  soon  reached  the  captured  ves 
sel's  side,  and  found  that  she  was  H.B.M.  brig  Pea- 
coc^  22  guns,  commanded  by  Captain  William 
Peake,  who  had  been  killed  by  the  last  broadside 
from  the  Hornet.  There  was  not  one  moment  to 
lose ;  six  feet  of  water  were  in  the  hold,  and  the 
Peacock's  decks  were  crowded  with  dead  and 
wounded.  She  was  settling  fast.  Her  anchor  was 
let  go,  and  the  Hornet  coming  up,  let  go  hers  also 
close  alongside.  Every  endeavor  was  now  made  to 
save  life;  the  men  who  a  few  minutes  before  had 
been  fighting  one  another  pulled  on  the  same  rope 
together  and  manned  the  same  boats.  The  Pea 
cocks  guns  were  thrown  overboard ;  such  shot-holes 
as  could  be  got  at  were  plugged;  but  the  water 
gained  despite  the  furious  men  at  the  pumps  and 
the  bailing  at  the  hatchways.  The  Peacock  was 
doomed.  The  body  of  Captain  Peake  was  carried 
into  his  cabin  and  covered  with  the  flag  he  had 
died  so  bravely  defending,  to  sink  with  her — "a 
shroud  and  sepulchre  worthy  so  brave  a  sailor." 
All  but  some  of  the  slightly  wounded  had  been  re 
moved,  and  there  remained  but  a  boat-load  more  to 


THE   "  HORNET  "  AND   THE   "  PEACOCK  "  107 

take  off  the  lurching  wreck,  when  she  suddenly 
pitched  forward  and  sank  in  five  and  a  half  fathoms, 
carrying  down  with  her  thirteen  of  her  own  crew 
and  three  American  seamen — John  Hart,  Joseph 
Williams,  and  Hannibal  Boyd.  Fine  old  down- 
east  names,  mark  you. 

A  boat  belonging  to  the  Peacock  broke  away  with 
four  of  her  crew  in  it  before  the  vessel  sank.  They 
probably  tried  to  make  their  escape  to  land.  In  writ 
ing  about  this  little  episode  afterwards,  Lawrence 
says,  "  I  sincerely  hope  they  reached  the  shore ;  but 
from  the  heavy  sea  running  at  the  time,  the  shattered 
state  of  the  boat,  and  the  difficulty  of  landing  on  the 
coast,  I  am  fearful  they  were  lost."  Captain  Law 
rence's  treatment  of  his  prisoners  was  such  as  uni 
formly  characterized  the  officers  of  our  navy, "  who 
won  by  their  magnanimity  those  whom  they  had 
conquered  by  their  valor." 

The  loss  on  board  the  Hornet,  outside  of  the 
three  seamen  drowned,  was  trifling — one  man  killed 
and  three  wounded,  two  by  the  explosion  of  a  car 
tridge.  The  vessel  received  little  or  no  damage. 
All  the  time  that  the  action  was  being  fought  the 
other  brig  lay  in  full  sight,  about  six  miles  off  (she 
proved  afterwards  to  have  been  L'Espiegle,  of  16 
guns),  but  she  showed  no  desire  to  enter  into  the 
conflict.  Thinking  that  she  might  wish  to  meet  the 
Hornet  later,  Lawrence  made  every  exertion  to  pre 
pare  his  ship  for  a  second  action,  and  by  nine  o'clock 
a  new  set  of  sails  was  bent,  wounded  spars  secured, 


IO8  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE   WAR   OF   l8l2 

boats  stowed  away,  and  the  Hornet  was  ready  to 
fight  again.  At  2  A.M.  she  got  under  way,  and 
stood  to  the  westward  and  northward  under  easy 
sail. 

On  mustering  the  next  morning  it  was  found  that 
there  were  277  souls  on  board,  including  the  crew 
of  the  American  brig  Hunter,  of  Portland,  Maine, 
captured  by  the  Peacock  a  few  days  before.  The 
latter  was  one  of  the  finest  vessels  of  her  class  in 
the  English  navy;  she  was  broader  by  five  inches 
than  the  Hornet,  but  not  so  long  by  four  feet.  Her 
tonnage  must  have  been  about  the  same.  Her  crew 
consisted  of  130  men. 

To  quote  from  an  account  of  the  times  which  de 
scribes  the  return  of  the  victorious  Hornet  to  the 
United  States:  "The  officers  of  the  Peacock  were 
so  affected  by  the  treatment  they  received  from 
Captain  Lawrence  that  on  their  arrival  at  New 
York  they  made  grateful  acknowledgment  of  it  in 
the  papers.  To  use  their  own  phrase, '  They  ceased 
to  consider  themselves  prisoners.'  Nor  must  we 
omit  to  mention  a  circumstance  highly  to  the  honor 
of  the  brave  tars  of  the  Hornet.  Finding  that  the 
crew  of  the  Peacock  had  lost  all  their  clothing  by 
the  sudden  sinking  of  their  vessel,  they  made  a  sub 
scription,  and  from  their  own  chest  supplied  each 
man  with  two  shirts  and  a  blue  jacket  and  trousers. 
Such  may  rough  sailors  be  made  when  they  have 
before  them  the  example  of  high-minded  men." 

It  was  not  long  before  poor  Lawrence  was  to  be 


THE   "HORNET"   AND   THE   "  PEACOCK  "  109 

borne  on  the  shoulders  of  his  enemies  and  laid  to 
rest,  with  all  honors,  in  a  foreign  soil,  a  last  return 
of  the  courtesy  he  had  extended  to  all  those  whom 
the  fortunes  of  war  had  placed  under  his  care  and 
keeping. 


VIII 

THE    "CHESAPEAKE"  AND  THE   "SHANNON 
[June  ist,  1813] 


"  Let  shouts  of  victory  for  laurels  won 
Give  place  to  grief  for  Lawrence,  Valor's  son. 
The  warrior  who  was  e'er  his  country's  pride 
Has  for  that  country  bravely,  nobly  died." 

— From  "An  Elegy  in  Remembrance  of  James  Lawrence,  Esquire" 
published  in  June,  1813. 

N*  EW  JERSEY  claims  the  honor  of  being 
the  birthplace  of  Captain  James  Lawrence, 
at  one  time  the  idol  of  the  naval  service. 
Captain  Lawrence  was  born  at  Burlington,  being  the 
youngest  son  of  John  Lawrence,  Esq.  Although 
at  the  age  of  twelve  he  manifested  a  desire  to  be 
come  a  sailor,  his  wish  was  not  gratified  until  five 
years  later,  when,  abandoning  the  study  of  law,  he 
took  up  that  of  navigation,  and  received  a  warrant 
as  midshipman  on  the  4th  of  September,  1 798. 

He  made  one  voyage  on  the  ship  Ganges,  under 
Captain  Tingey,  and  after  two  years  of  cruising  in 
various  vessels  he  was  made  an  acting  lieutenant 
on  board  the  frigate  Adams,  where  he  continued 
until  the  reduction  of  the  naval  force  began,  and 
then,  his  appointment  not  being  confirmed,  he  once 
more  found  himself  a  midshipman. 

Lawrence,  like  many  a  good  officer,  appeared  to 
be  continually  at  loggerheads  with  the  department 
at  Washington.  He  objected  to  this  first  reduction, 

8 


114  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF   THE   WAR   OF    l8l2 

and  in  1801  his  objection  was  sustained,  and  he 
sailed  to  the  Mediterranean  as  first  lieutenant  of  the 
schooner  Enterprise  in  1803.  All  through  the  war 
with  Tripoli  he  conducted  himself  with  such  bravery 
as  to  bring  commendation  from  all  his  superiors. 
As  an  example  of  his  spirit  and  fearlessness  an 
incident  is  well  worth  quoting.  After  he  had  re 
turned  with  Commodore  Preble  he  was  not  allowed 
to  rest  long  in  idleness ;  again  he  was  sent  to  the 
Mediterranean,  for  what  reason  it  would  be  hard 
to  state ;  he  was  hastened  away  in  command  of 
one  of  the  foolishly  constructed  gunboats  that  did 
not  even  rejoice  in  the  dignity  of  possessing  a 
name,  being  merely  known  on  the  register  as  "  No. 
6."  None  of  these  vessels  was  qualified  to  take  to 
the  sea.  They  were  built  on  the  model  of  great  row- 
boats,  and  wallowed  and  tossed  and  pitched,  and 
behaved  in  every  way  that  a  vessel  ought  not  to 
when  under  sail.  The  one  big  gun  they  carried 
amidships  on  deck  rendered  them  top-heavy,  and,  as 
some  one  wrote  at  the  time,  "  the  leeway  they  gath 
ered  discounted  the  log."  But  Lawrence  grimly 
accepted  the  duty  assigned  to  him,  and  set  out  at 
once.  A  few  months  afterwards  one  of  his  brother 
officers  wrote  in  a  letter  to  a  relation  in  the  army, 
saying,  "  Lawrence  has  told  me  that  when  he  went 
on  board  the  gunboat  he  had  not  the  faintest  idea 
that  he  would  ever  arrive  out  to  the  Mediterranean 
in  her,  or  indeed  arrive  anywhere  else.  He  also  told 
me  that  on  the  coast  of  Europe  he  met  an  English 


THE  "  CHESAPEAKE  "  AND   THE  "  SHANNON  "       115 

frigate,  the  captain  of  which  would  not  at  first  be 
lieve  that  he  had  crossed  the  Atlantic  in  such  a 
vessel." 

But  he  crossed  safely,  however,  and  cruised  about 
in  his  cockle-shell  for  some  sixteen  months.  Im 
mediately  after  his  return  Lawrence  was  made  first 
lieutenant  of  the  frigate  Constitution;  then  trans 
ferred  to  the  schooner  Vixen,  of  which  he  was  given 
the  command ;  whence  he  went  to  the  brig  Argus, 
and  at  last  to  the  sloop  Hornet.  Twice  he  was  sent 
to  Europe  in  the  latter  with  despatches  to  our  min 
isters.  Upon  the  outbreak  of  the  war  Lawrence 
was  yet  in  command  of  the  Hornet,  which  was  one 
of  the  squadron  of  five  sail  that  set  out  under  Com 
modore  Rodgers  in  the  unsuccessful  attempt  to  in 
tercept  the  Jamaica  fleet. 

Much  upset  in  his  mind  by  the  promotion  of  a 
junior  officer  over  his  head,  only  Lawrence's  patri 
otism  and  loyalty  prevented  him  from  resigning 
from  the  service.  The  Senate  restored  him  to  his 
proper  number  on  the  list,  however,  and  he  sailed 
with  Commodore  Bainbridge  in  the  cruise  to  the 
south,  from  which  he  returned  soon  after  the  capt 
ure  of  the  Peacock. 

In  all  history  it  is  customary  to  count  the  inci 
dents  of  unsuccessful  but  heroic  resistance  to  the 
honor  and  glory  of  the  nation.  The  historians  of 
Great  Britain  in  all  their  works  rightly  take  this 
stand  in  detailing  the  actions  between  their  vessels 
and  those  of  the  little  navy  of  the  United  States. 


Il6  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE   WAR   OF    l8l2 

There  is  on  record  in  our  annals  the  story  of  an 
unsuccessful  engagement  that  cannot  but  reflect 
credit  on  our  naval  officers  and  our  flag. 

Jack  Tars  are  more  superstitious  than  any  other 
class*  of  men.  They  fear  Friday,  and  are  on  the 
constant  lookout  for  omens  and  portents.  Give  a 
ship  an  unlucky  name  and  it  counts  against  her 
in  securing  a  good  crew.  The  Chesapeake  was 
an  unlucky  vessel.  On  the  22d  of  June,  1807, 
manned  by  a  green  crew  under  the  command  of 
Commodore  Barron,  she  had  left  Hampton  Roads. 
This  was  during  the  time  that  England  was  em 
ploying  her  assumed  "  Right  of  Search,"  that  led  to 
the  struggle  five  years  later. 

Taken  at  a  disadvantage,  she  was  humiliated  by 
being  compelled  to  lower  her  flag  to  H.  M.  S.  Leop 
ard,  after  the  latter  had  poured  in  several  destruc 
tive  broadsides  without  return.  The  Chesapeake 
had  three  men  killed  and  eighteen  wounded,  and 
her  commander  was  forced  to  submit  to  the  kid 
napping  of  four  alleged  deserters  from  his  crew. 
The  vessel  had  proved  herself  a  slow  sailer,  and  had 
accomplished  nothing  in  her  cruises.  In  March, 
1813,  she  was  lying  in  Boston  Harbor,  her  comple 
ment  of  men  not  filled  and  her  armament  incom 
plete. 

Captain  Lawrence,  fearing  that  he  might  be  ap 
pointed  to  her,  applied  for  the  command  of  the  Con 
stitution. 

High-spirited  and  sensitive,  he  had  taken  offence 


THE   "  CHESAPEAKE  "  AND   THE   "SHANNON"      1 1/ 

at  the  manner  in  which  his  request  was  received. 
The  Secretary  of  the  Navy  entailed  the  condition 
that  if  neither  Captain  Porter  nor  Captain  Evans 
applied  for  the  command  of  "  Old  Ironsides,"  Law 
rence  could  have  her.  Objecting  to  this  treatment, 
he  was  given  the  appointment  unconditionally ;  but 
the  next  day,  to  his  chagrin,  he  received  a  recall  of 
the  order,  and,  after  some  vexations,  counter-instruc 
tions  to  take  command  of  the  Chesapeake,  then  lying 
in  Boston  Roads.  Lawrence  was  prejudiced  against 
this  ship,  and  disgruntled  at  his  peculiar  treatment ; 
but  to  his  respectful  remonstrances  the  Secretary  of 
the  Navy  vouchsafed  no  reply,  and  the  gallant  officer 
pocketed  his  pride  and  went  on  board  his  unfortu 
nate  command. 

British  vessels  of  war  were  a  common  sight  from 
any  hill  along  the  New  England  coast.  Outfitting 
at  Halifax,  they  hovered  about,  and  were  in  con 
stant  communication  with  one  another,  the  small 
er  vessels  seldom  straying  far  from  their  towering 
guard-ships. 

While  Lawrence  was  endeavoring  to  teach  the 
green  crew  of  the  Chesapeake  something  of  disci 
pline  and  man-of-war  customs,  a  strange  sail  boldly 
made  in  to  the  entrance  of  Boston  Roads. 

She  tacked  about,  flying  signals  of  defiance.  It 
was  the  Shannon  (38),  a  prime  vessel,  magnificently 
equipped  for  the  express  purpose  of  meeting  a 
Yankee  frigate.  She  had  an  unusually  numerous 
crew  of  picked  men,  thoroughly  disciplined  and  well 


Il8  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE   WAR   OF    l8l2 

officered.  She  was  commanded  by  Captain  Broke, 
a  fearless  and  able  officer,  one  of  the  best  in  the 
service  of  Great  Britain — a  man  who  feared  no  dan 
ger,  and  fought  with  desire  to  gain  reputation  and 
glory*  He  had  dismissed  the  Tenedos,  line-of-battle 
ship,  and  wished  to  fight  alone. 

In  Low's  Great  Battles  of  the  British  Navy  the 
author  speaks  of  Captain  Broke  sending  a  formal 
challenge  to  the  captain  of  the  Chesapeake  to  come 
out  and  meet  "  ship  to  ship,  to  try  the  fortunes  of 
our  respective  flags."  The  English  writer  adds  that 
"  the  redoubtable  Captain  Lawrence  was  not  back 
ward  in  accepting  the  challenge." 

This  challenge,  a  model  of  the  stilted  courtesy 
and  frank  gallantry  of  the  day,  was  never  received 
by  the  American  commander,  despite  the  statement. 
It  might  have  made  some  difference,  for  it  told  the 
number  of  men,  guns,  and  armament. 

To  Captain  Broke's  honor  be  it  said  that  he 
sought  no  favor  and  he  had  no  fear.  An  American 
publication  speaks  in  the  following  words  :  "  It  is  to 
be  deeply  regretted  that  Captain  Lawrence  did  not 
receive  this  gallant  challenge,  as  it  would  have  given 
him  time  to  put  his  ship  in  proper  order,  and  spared 
him  the  necessity  of  hurrying  out  in  his  unprepared 
condition  to  so  formidable  and  momentous  an  en 
counter." 

The  English  exploited  in  verse  and  song  the  vic 
tory  they  had  gained.  A  series  of  paintings  and  en 
gravings  representing  different  phases  of  the  en- 


THE  "  CHESAPEAKE  "  AND  THE  "  SHANNON  "   1 19 

gagement  was  designed  by  Captain  R.  H.  King, 
R.N.,  and  painted  by  Schetky,  and  dedicated  to 
Captain  Sir  Philip  Bowes  Vere  Broke,  Bart.,  R.N., 
K.C.B.  The  King,  on  hearing  the  news  of  the  capt 
ure,  is  reported  to  have  clapped  his  hands. 

That  Lawrence  fought  the  action  contrary  to  his 
own  judgment,  and  was  not  sanguine  of  victory,  is 
shown  by  a  letter  in  his  own  hand,  written  on  board 
the  Chesapeake,  and  sent  off  by  the  pilot ;  for  the 
American  vessel,  as  she  left  the  harbor,  was  sur 
rounded  by  a  fleet  of  small  craft,  which  came  out 
to  see  the  action.  This  letter  is  addressed,  "  James 
Cox,  Esq.,  Merchant,  New  York." 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  letter,  the  original 
of  which  is  now  in  the  possession  of  the  author : 

"June  ist. 

"  DEAR  JAMES, — By  the  enclosed  you  will  perceive  that  Bain- 
bridge  and  myself  have  had  a  serious  difference.  It  is  in  a  measure, 
however,  done  away,  in  consequence  of  an  explanation  had  last 
evening.  You  will  pay  him  one  and  one-half  twentieths  of  my 
prize-money,  and  demand  the  same  resulting  from  the  capture  of 
ihzjava.  ...  An  English  frigate  is  close  in  with  the  light-house, 
and  we  are  now  clearing  ship  for  action. 

"  Should  I  be  so  unfortunate  as  to  be  taken  off,  I  leave  my  wife 
and  children  to  your  care,  and  feel  confident  that  you  will  behave 
to  them  the  same  as  if  they  were  your  own.  Remember  me  affec 
tionately  to  our  good  mother,  and  believe  me, 

"  Sincerely  yours, 

"  JAMES  LAWRENCE. 

"  P.  S. — 10  A.M.  The  frigate  is  plain  in  sight  from  our  decks,  and 
we  are  now  getting  under  way." 

Trouble   soon   came ;    the  crew,  that  had  never 


I2O  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE  WAR  OF   1 8 12 

sailed  under  Lawrence  before,  acted  in  a  listless, 
half-hearted  manner.  A  villanous  boatswain's  mate, 
a  Portuguese,  showed  signs  of  mutinous  conduct ; 
for  immediately  after  the  Chesapeake  was  under  way, 
and  Lawrence  had  addressed  a  few  words  to  the 
crew  assembled  in  the  waist,  this  scoundrel  replied 
in  an  insolent  manner,  complaining  that  he  had 
not  received  prize-money  which  had  been  due,  he 
claimed,  for  some  time  past.  It  was  impossible,  in 
view  of  the  fact  that  he  was  entirely  unacquainted 
with  the  characters  of  his  crew,  for  Captain  Law 
rence  to  notice  this  conduct  in  the  manner  it  de 
served.  He  had  had  no  time  to  gain  their  affec 
tions  or  obtain  influence  through  his  personality. 

Imagine  the  scene  !  With  the  enemy  waiting  in 
the  offing,  the  disaffected  ones  were  taken  to  the 
cabin  and  there  paid  the  money  that  they  claimed 
was  owing  them.  As  Lawrence  looked  about,  he 
longed  for  the  Yankee  tars  that  had  served  under 
him  in  the  Hornet  and  that  he  had  hoped  to  com 
mand  in  the  Constitution.  His  heart  must  have 
failed  him. 

Up  went  the  flag.  The  English  had  learned  to 
read  without  the  glass,  "  Free  Trade  and  Sailors' 
Rights,"  the  motto  painted  on  it. 

As  the  Chesapeake  approached,  the  English  vessel 
hauled  off  shore. 

It  was  a  beautiful  summer  day.  The  water  was 
rippled,  and  there  was  little  or  no  swell.  It  was  a 
day  for  target  practice.  The  small  craft  either  held 


THE  "CHESAPEAKE"  AND  THE  "SHANNON"     121 

back  or  had  been  left  behind  as  the  two  combatants, 
sailing  in  silence,  drew  away  from  shore. 

At  4  P.M.  the  Chesapeake  fired  a  gun.  The  Shan 
non  braced  back  her  main-topsail  and  hove  to.  The 
smoke  from  the  first  shot  had  cleared  away,  and  the 
vessels  manoeuvred  for  some  minutes  to  gain  the 
advantage. 

Lawrence  must  have  seen  that  it  would  have  been 
better  had  he  listened  to  the  counsels  of  Bainbridge 
and  others,  who  had  advised  him  not  to  seek  a 
meeting  just  at  that  time.  It  was  evident  that  the 
Shannon  was  the  better  sailer.  Several  times  the 
newly  rove  running-gear  of  the  Chesapeake  jammed 
in  the  blocks.  Her  crew  were  confused,  and  the 
men  did  not  know  their  numbers  at  the  guns.  All 
exertions  were  made,  however ;  but,  after  having 
been  for  some  time  within  pistol  -  shot,  broadsides 
were  fired  with  tremendous  execution.  The  first 
broadside  that  the  Chesapeake  received  was  a  catas 
trophe  in  itself;  the  double -shotted  guns  of  the 
enemy  tore  great  breaks  in  her  bulwarks,  and  officers 
who  had  occupied  positions  of  great  danger  fell  in 
every  part  of  the  ship.  The  first  shot  killed  Mr. 
White,  the  sailing-master.  The  fourth  lieutenant, 
Mr.  Ballard,  received  a  mortal  wound  ;  and  at  this 
same  moment  Captain  Lawrence  was  shot  through 
the  leg  by  a  musket-ball  from  the  Shannons  tops. 
He  made  no  outcry,  but,  leaning  against  the  com 
panion-way  for  support,  continued  to  give  his  or 
ders  in  a  cool,  firm  voice.  The  ships  were  now  so 


122  NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE   WAR  OF   l8l2 

close  that  the  powder  smoke  blackened  their  white 
streaks,  and  three  broadsides  were  exchanged  in 
quick  succession  that  were  frightful  in  their  results. 

The  English  had  placed  expert  riflemen  in  their 
tops,  and  three  men  were  shot  successively  from 
the  Chesapeake's  wheel.  The  American  ship  fell 
off  from  her  proper  course,  and  the  Shannon 
veering  close,  her  after -port  was  caught  by  the 
Chesapeake s  anchor.  The  ill-luck  of  the  latter 
vessel  had  followed  her.  For  some  time  she 
could  not  bring  a  gun  to  bear,  while  the  English 
man  from  his  foremost  guns  raked  her  upper  decks, 
killing  and  wounding  the  greater  portion  of  the  men 
there. 

It  had  been  for  a  long  time  a  superstition  with 
our  cousins  across  the  water  that  naught  could  re 
sist  the  onslaught  of  an  English  boarding  party.  An 
exception,  however,  has  been  made  in  favor  of  the 
u  damned  Yankees  "  by  a  well-known  English  writer. 

Seeing  that  the  spar-deck  of  the  Chesapeake  was 
devoid  of  defenders,  a  party  of  the  Shannons  men 
took  advantage  of  a  favorable  chance,  and,  without 
waiting  for  orders,  jumped  on  the  American's  deck. 
Captain  Lawrence,  still  leaning  heavily  against  the 
rail,  and  weak  from  loss  of  blood,  had  scarcely  time 
to  call  his  boarders  to  repel  the  attack  when  he  re 
ceived  a  second  wound,  from  a  bullet,  in  the  abdo 
men.  He  fell  into  the  arms  of  Lieutenant  Cox,  who 
commanded  the  second  division,  and  was  hurrying 
up  from  below.  At  this  moment  Captain  Broke,  of 


THE   4<  CHESAPEAKE  "  AND   THE   "SHANNON"      123 

the  Shannon,  bravely  headed  a  second  boarding  par 
ty,  and  sprang  over  the  railing  of  the  Chesapeake. 
Lawrence  saw  the  danger  as  he  struggled,  with  Cox's 
help,  to  rise  from  the  deck. 

"  Don't  give  up  the  ship!  don't  give  up  the  ship!" 
he  said,  and  repeated  it  over  and  over  as  they  car 
ried  him  down  the  companion-way. 

A  hand-to-hand  struggle  now  ensued.  The  only 
American  officer  remaining  on  the  upper  deck  was 
Lieutenant  Ludlow.  He  was  so  weakened  and  dis 
abled  by  numerous  wounds  that  he  was  incapable  of 
personal  resistance,  and  the  small  number  of  British 
succeeded  in  obtaining  possession  before  those  from 
below  could  swarm  up  to  the  defence. 

An  account  gathered  from  an  officer  after  the  sur 
render  speaks  as  follows : 

"  We  were  greatly  embarrassed  in  consequence  of 
being  unacquainted  with  our  crew.  In  one  instance, 
in  particular,  Lieutenant  Cox  joined  a  party  of  the 
enemy  through  mistake,  and  was  made  sensible  of 
his  error  by  their  slashing  at  him  with  their  cut 
lasses." 

Lawrence,  lying  below  in  the  wardroom,  suffering 
agony,  heard  the  firing  cease,  and,  having  no  officer 
near  him,  he  ordered  the  surgeon  who  was  attend 
ing  his  wound  to  hasten  on  deck  and  tell  his  fol 
lowers  to  fight  on  to  the  last,  and  never  strike  the 
colors,  adding: 

"  They  shall  wave  while  I  live." 

But  nothing  could  be  done.     A  ship  without  a 


124  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE  WAR   OF    l8l2 

captain  is  a  man  without  a  soul.  The  fate  of  battle 
was  decided.  It  was  mere  waste  of  life  to  continue, 
and  Lieutenant  Ludlow  gave  up  the  Chesapeake. 

There  was  the  utmost  confusion  during  the  latter 
part  of  the  battle,  but  accounts  differ  in  regard  to 
the  details.  A  hot-headed  boy  fired  at  an  English 
sentry  placed  at  a  gangway,  and  started  an  action 
that  resulted  in  Lieutenant  Ludlow  receiving  a  cut 
lass  wound  in  the  head  which  fractured  his  skull 
and  proved  fatal.  An  English  authority,  in  speak 
ing  of  the  hauling  down  of  the  stars  and  stripes,  re 
calls  that  Lieutenant  Wall,  one  of  their  own  officers, 
was  killed,  and  four  or  five  men  fell,  from  a  volley 
delivered  by  their  own  people  from  the  tops  of  the 
Shannon,  "  for  in  the  hurry  and  excitement  the  Yan 
kee  flag  was  hoisted  uppermost." 

Thus  terminated  one  of  the  most  remarkable  com 
bats  on  naval  record.  The  action  had  lasted  over 
a  quarter  of  an  hour.  There  is  little  use  in  surmis 
ing  what  might  have  occurred  had  not  the  ships  run 
foul  of  each  other. 

The  Chesapeake  had  received  little  injury  to  affect 
her  safety,  while  the  Shannon  had  several  shots  be 
tween  wind  and  water,  and  could  not  have  sustained 
an  action  at  gunshot  distance  for  any  great  length 
of  time. 

The  two  ships  presented  terrible  spectacles,  says 
a  witness.  "  Crowded  with  wounded  and  the  dy 
ing,  they  resembled  floating  hospitals,  sending  forth 
groans  at  every  roll." 


THE  "CHESAPEAKE"  AND  THE  " SHANNON"     125 

The  brave  Broke  had  received  a  severe  wound  in 
the  head,  and  was  lying  delirious  on  board  of  his 
own  vessel.  He  constantly  inquired  for  the  fate 
of  his  gallant  adversary,  and  kept  speaking  of  the 
"masterly  style"  in  which  the  latter  had  brought 
the  Chesapeake  into  action. 

Lawrence,  though  conscious,  sealed  his  lips  and 
never  spoke,  though  suffering  great  bodily  pain, 
making  no  comment  upon  the  battle.  He  lingered 
four  days,  and  finally  expired. 

His  body  was  wrapped  in  the  colors  of  his  ship 
and  laid  upon  the  quarter-deck  of  the  Chesapeake,  to 
be  conveyed  for  burial  to  Halifax.  At  the  time  of 
his  death  he  was  but  thirty-two  years  of  age,  sixteen 
years  of  which  had  been  passed  in  the  service  of  his 
country. 

Great  were  the  rejoicings  at  the  British  port  when 
the  two  vessels  sailed  in,  and  our  hearts  cannot  fail 
to  be  touched  by  the  honors  paid  on  this  occasion 
by  the  British  to  the  departed  American  hero. 

His  pall  was  borne  by  the  oldest  captains  in  the 
British  service  that  were  then  in  Halifax,  and  the 
naval  officers  crowded  to  yield  the  last  honors  to  a 
man  who  had  been  so  lately  their  foe.  There  is  a 
sympathy  between  lofty  souls  that  knows  no  dis 
tinction  of  clime  or  nation. 

As  usual,  much  controversy  over  the  numbers  en 
gaged  and  the  weight  of  armament  was  aroused. 

So  far  as  can  be  learned,  the  crews  were  nearly 
matched,  each  numbering  about  four  hundred. 


126  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE  WAR  OF    1 8 12 

The  Shannon  lost  twenty-four  killed,  including 
three  officers,  and  fifty  wounded.  The  Chesapeake, 
forty-seven  killed  and  ninety-nine  wounded. 

Lawrence's  first  lieutenant  was  killed,  and  all  the 
surviving  lieutenants  wounded,  as  were  also  five 
midshipmen  and  the  chaplain. 

Lieutenant  William  Cox,  whose  court-martial  at 
tracted  much  attention  after  the  investigation  into 
the  loss  of  the  Chesapeake,  was  doubtless  a  victim  of 
the  chagrin  that  the  country  felt  at  England's  vic 
tory.  Cox  had  fought  bravely  throughout  the  early 
part  of  the  action,  and  there  is  much  to  prove  that 
his  going  below  with  the  wounded  Lawrence  was  in 
compliance  with  the  latter's  orders. 

Lieutenant  Provo  Wallis,  who  brought  the  Chesa 
peake  as  a  prize  into  Halifax,  died  within  the  last 
few  years,  an  admiral,  the  oldest  naval  officer  then 
living  in  the  service  of  Great  Britain. 


IX 

THE    "ENTERPRISE"   AND  THE    "BOXER" 

[September  5th,  1813] 


MEMORIAL    MEDAL    IN    HONOR   OF 
CAPTAIN    WILLIAM   BURROWS 


MEDAL    PRESENTED    BY    CONGRESS    TO 
LIEUTENANT    EDWARD    R.    M'CALL 


WILLIAM  BURROWS  was  one  of  those 
men  from  whose  early  training  and  de 
velopment    of    character    great    things 
might  have  been  expected.     He  was  born  in  1785, 
near  Philadelphia,  and  as  a  boy  he  had  marked  pe 
culiarities  that  presaged  somewhat  the  eccentrici 
ties  that  were  shown  by  him  in  after-life. 

His  father  was  wealthy,  and,  being  a  man  of  ac 
complished  mind  and  polished  manners,  he  deter 
mined  to  fit  his  son  for  no  profession,  but  intended 
to  give  him  the  best  education  that  could  be  had. 
But  the  boy  seemed  to  show  little  desire  to  master 
that  which  would  only  fit  him  to  enjoy  the  better  a 
life  of  leisure.  A  desire  for  travel,  a  wild  longing 
for  the  sea  and  for  ships,  manifested  itself  before  he 
was  twelve  years  old.  He  cherished  a  solitary  in 
dependence  of  mind,  and  did  not  indulge  in  much 
of  the  playfulness  or  the  pranks  of  boyhood. 

At  last,  seeing  that  it  was  impossible  to  break 
him  of  his  desire  for  a  seafaring  life,  the  whole  course 
of  his  education  was  changed,  and  before  he  had 
trod  the  deck  of  a  vessel  he  was  instructed  in  naval 
science.  This  he  took  up  with  avidity,  and  the  in 
tense  hatred  for  mathematics  he  had  shown  hitherto 
entirely  disappeared.  In  November,  1799,  a  mid- 


130  NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE  WAR  OF   1 8 12 

shipman's  warrant  was  procured  for  him,  and  the 
following  January  he  joined  the  corvette  Portsmouth, 
and  sailed  for  France.  He  served  on  board  various 
ships  of  war  until  1803,  when  he  was  ordered  to  the 
frigate  Constitution,  under  Commodore  Preble.  He 
distinguished  himself  in  the  Tripolitan  war,  and 
centred  all  his  pride  in  becoming  a  thorough  and 
accomplished  sailor  Being  mortified  by  the  ap 
pointment  of  some  junior  officers  over  his  head, 
he  attempted  to  resign  the  service  just  previous  to 
the  outbreak  of  the  second  war  with  Great  Britain ; 
his  resignation  was  not  accepted.  However,  after 
much  trouble,  he  received  a  furlough,  and  made  a 
trip  to  China  as  first  officer  on  board  the  merchant 
ship  Thomas  Penrose,  which  vessel  he  saved  on  one 
occasion  by  his  good  seamanship.  What  was  his 
delight,  upon  coming  back  to  his  country,  to  find 
that  his  friends  had  been  working  for  him,  and  that 
he  had  been  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  brig 
Enterprise,  16  guns,  at  Portsmouth!  His  charac 
ter  immediately  underwent  a  change.  He  threw 
off  the  misanthropic  manner  and  the  morose  feel 
ings  that  had  characterized  him,  and  showed  such 
knowledge  and  despatch  in  outfitting  his  little  brig 
that  she  was  probably  as  well  equipped  as  any  vessel 
of  her  tonnage  in  any  service,  and  her  crew  as  well 
trained. 

On  the  ist  of  September  the  Enterprise  sailed 
from  Portsmouth  on  a  cruise  to  the  southward.  She 
encountered  light  weather  and  baffling  winds,  and 


THE   "ENTERPRISE"  AND   THE  "BOXER"  131 

saw  no  sail  until  early  on  the  morning  of  the  5th, 
when  a  brig  was  espied  inshore  getting  under  way. 
For  some  time  the  Enterprise  tacked  to  and  fro,  un 
able  to  ascertain  the  character  of  the  stranger.  But 
soon  all  doubts  were  put  aside  by  seeing  the  brig 
display  two  flags,  one  at  each  mast-head;  and  al 
though  some  miles  distant,  she  fired  a  gun,  as  if  in 
challenge. 

The  Enterprise  hauled  up  on  the  wind  and  stood 
out  to  sea,  preparing  for  action.  Then  followed  one 
of  the  strange  circumstances  which  happened  so 
often  in  those  days.  The  wind  died  away,  and  for 
six  hours  or  more  the  two  enemies  drifted  about 
in  a  dead  calm,  watching  each  other  through  their 
glasses,  and  preparing  for  the  conflict  that  would 
take  place  as  soon  as  the  breeze  would  enable  them 
to  lessen  the  distance  between  them. 

At  half-past  two  in  the  afternoon  it  came,  from 
the  southwest,  a  light  wind  that  gave  the  Enterprise 
the  advantage  of  the  weather-gage.  It  took  only  a 
few  minutes  to  find  out  that,  so  far  as  sailing  went, 
the  two  vessels  were  on  equal  terms,  and  at  3  P.M. 
Burrows  shortened  sail,  squared  his  yards,  and  bore 
down  before  the  wind.  He  hoisted  an  ensign  at 
each  of  his  mast-heads  and  another  at  the  peak,  fir 
ing  a  gun  to  answer  the  previous  challenge  of  the 
morning.  Then,  in  silence,  the  two  vessels  neared. 
Closer  and  closer  they  came  without  a  shot  being 
fired,  the  men  at  the  guns  being  eager  to  commence, 
and  the  officers  anxiously  awaiting  word  from  the 


132  NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE  WAR  OF   l8l2 

young  commander  (Burrows  was  but  twenty-eight), 
who  was  walking  quickly  to  and  fro  alone  on  the 
quarter-deck. 

When  within  half  pistol-shot  the  Englishman 
came  up  into  the  wind  and  gave  three  cheers,  im 
mediately  letting  go  his  starboard  broadside.  The 
cheers  and  the  broadside  were  returned,  and  the  ac 
tion  at  once  became  general. 

Burrows  had  the  opportunity  for  which  he  had 
been  praying.  He  noticed  that  the  training  of  his 
crew  was  showing  to  good  effect ;  all  the  care  and 
trouble  he  had  taken  were  now  being  paid  for. 

He  had  turned  to  speak  to  Lieutenant  McCall,  to 
attract  attention  to  the  way  in  which  the  enemy  was 
being  hulled,  when  a  musket-ball  struck  him  in  the 
body,  and  he  fell.  McCall  bent  over  him.  "  Don't 
take  me  below,"  he  said,  as  he  lay  on  the  deck. 
"  Never  strike  that  flag." 

Maybe  the  recollection  of  the  words  of  the  great 
Lawrence  influenced  him  as  he  spoke.  They 
brought  a  hammock  from  the  nettings  and  placed 
it  underneath  his  head,  and  McCall  assumed  the 
active  command. 

This  had  happened  during  the  first  eight  min 
utes  of  the  engagement,  and  so  accurate  was  the 
gunnery  of  the  Americans  that  the  main-topmast 
and  the  topsail  yard  of  the  Englishman  were  soon 
shot  away,  and  a  position  gained  whence  a  raking 
fire  was  kept  up  for  some  twelve  minutes. 

Suddenly  it  was  noticed  that  the  enemy  was  not 


THE  "ENTERPRISE"  AND  THE  "BOXER"       133 

replying,  although  the  colors  were  still  flying  at  the 
mast-heads. 

McCall  gave  orders  to  cease  firing,  and  then 
through  the  smoke  came  a  hoarse  voice  hailing  the 
American  brig.  "  Cease  firing  there !"  it  said.  "  We 
have  surrendered." 

"Why  don't  you  haul  down  your  colors?"  re 
turned  McCall  through  the  trumpet. 

"We  can't,  sir.  They  are  nailed  to  the  mast," 
was  the  reply. 

A  boat  was  lowered  from  the  Enterprise,  and  Mc 
Call  climbed  to  the  deck  of  his  late  antagonist.  She 
proved  to  be  His  Britannic  Majesty's  brig  Boxer, 
14  guns,  that  a  few  minutes  before  had  been  com 
manded  by  Samuel  Blyth,  a  brave  officer,  who 
burned  to  distinguish  himself,  and  had  gone  into 
action  determined  to  follow  the  example  of  Sir 
Philip  Vere  Broke,  and  lead  "  a  captured  Yankee 
into  Halifax  Harbor  " — so  he  had  expressed  himself. 
But  he  had  not  lived  to  see  the  outcome  of  the  ac 
tion.  At  the  same  time  that  Burrows  fell  on  board 
the  Enterprise,  Blyth  was  killed  by  a  cannon-shot 
on  the  quarter-deck  of  the  Boxer. 

His  first  officer  came  back  with  Lieutenant 
McCall,  and  approached  the  wounded  Burrows,  who 
yet  refused  to  be  carried  below.  The  doctor  had  pro 
nounced  that  he  had  but  a  few  hours  at  most  to 
live. 

When  he  received  the  sword  of  his  enemy,  he 
grasped  it  in  both  hands.  "  I  am  satisfied,"  he  said ; 


134  NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE  WAR  OF   l8l2 

and  soon  afterwards  he  was  covered  with  the  flag 
below  in  his  own  cabin — "  a  smile  on  his  lips,"  wrote 
one  of  the  officers. 

As  usual,  much  controversy  was  excited  in  regard 
to  the  numbers  of  crew  and  armament  of  the  two 
vessels. 

An  extract  from  a  letter  from  Commodore  Hull 
to  Commodore  Bainbridge,  dated  September  loth, 
1813,  is  of  great  interest.  Hull  writes : 

"  I  yesterday  visited  the  two  brigs,  and  was  astonished  to  see  the 
difference  of  injury  sustained  in  the  action.  The  Enterprise  has 
but  one  eighteen-pound  shot  in  her  hull,  one  in  her  mainmast,  and 
one  in  her  foremast ;  her  sails  are  much  cut  with  grape-shot,  but  no 
injury  was  done  by  them. 

"  The  Boxer  has  eighteen  or  twenty  eighteen-pound  shot  in  her 
hull,  most  of  them  at  the  water's  edge ;  several  stands  of  grape-shot 
in  her  side,  and  such  a  quantity  of  smaller  grape  that  I  didn't  under 
take  to  count  them.  Her  masts,  sails,  and  spars  are  literally  cut  to 
pieces  ;  several  of  her  guns  dismounted  and  unfit  for  service.  To 
give  an  idea,  I  inform  you  that  I  counted  in  her  mainmast  alone 
three  eighteen-pound  shot-holes. 

"  I  find  it  impossible  to  get  at  the  number  killed,  as  no  papers 
are  found  by  which  we  can  ascertain  it.  I,  however,  counted  up 
wards  of  ninety  hammocks  that  were  in  her  nettings,  besides  sev 
eral  beds  without  hammocks.  I  have  no  doubt  that  she  carried  one 
hundred  men  on  board." 

The  exact  number  on  board  the  Enterprise  was 
one  hundred  and  two. 

In  addition  to  the  particulars  thus  officially  given, 
from  other  sources  it  was  ascertained  that  the 
Enterprise  rated  as  12  guns,  but  carried  16 — viz., 
14  eighteen -pound  carronades  and  2  long  nines; 


THE  "ENTERPRISE"  AND  THE  "BOXER         135 

her  officers  and  crew  consisted  of  one  hundred  and 
two  persons,  and  her  burden  was  about  two  hundred 
and  sixty-five  tons. 

The  Boxer  rated  as  a  14 -gun  brig,  but  carried 
1 8,  disposed  as  follows:  16  eighteen  -  pound  car- 
ronades  in  her  broadsides  and  2  long  nines  on 
deck.  She  was  very  heavily  built,  and  was  about 
three  hundred  tons  in  burden. 

Soon  after  the  arrival  of  the  Enterprise  and  her 
prize  at  Portland  the  bodies  of  the  two  dead  com 
manders  were  brought  on  shore  in  ten-oared  barges 
rowed  at  minute  strokes  by  masters  of  ships,  and 
accompanied  by  a  procession  of  almost  all  the  barges 
and  boats  in  the  harbor.  Minute-guns  were  fired 
from  the  vessels,  the  same  ceremony  was  performed 
over  each  body,  and  the  procession  moved  through 
the  streets,  preceded  by  the  selectmen  and  the  mu 
nicipal  officers,  and  guarded  by  the  crew  of  the 
Enterprise,  all  the  officers  of  that  vessel  and  of  the 
Boxer  acting  as  joint  mourners. 

It  is  a  strange  fact  that  Burrows  had  never  been 
in  a  battle  before,  and  that  McCall,  on  whom  had 
devolved  the  responsibility  of  command,  had  never 
previously  heard  the  sound  of  a  hostile  shot. 

The  losses  during  the  action  were,  as  near  as 
could  be  ascertained,  as  follows : 

The  Boxer,  twenty -eight  killed  and  fourteen 
wounded ;  and  the  Enterprise,  one  killed  and  thir 
teen  wounded,  three  of  whom  afterwards  died. 


X 

THE   BATTLE   OF  LAKE   ERIE 

[September  roth,  1813] 


AIEUAI.    PRESENTED    BY    CONGRESS    TO 
CAPTAIN    OLI\EK    HAZARD    HERRY 


OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY,  the  hero  of 
Lake  Erie,  inherited  from  his  father  a 
fearless,  high-strung  disposition,  and  early 
in  life  showed  his  longing  for  adventure.  The  elder 
Perry  was  a  seaman  from  the  time  he  could  lift  a 
handspike,  and  fought  in  the  revolutionary  days, 
first  as  a  privateersman  on  a  Boston  letter-of -marque, 
and  afterwards  as  a  volunteer  on  board  the  frigate 
Trumbull  and  the  sloop  of  war  Mifflin.  He  was 
captured  and  imprisoned  for  eight  long  months  in 
the  famous  Jersey  prison-ship,  where  he  succeeded  in 
braving  the  dangers  of  disease,  starvation,  and  hard 
ship,  and  at  last  regained  his  liberty.  Once  more 
he  became  a  privateersman,  but  ill-fortune  followed 
him.  He  was  captured  in  the  English  Channel,  and 
confined  for  eighteen  months  in  a  British  prison, 
whence  he  again  escaped  and  made  his  way  to  the 
island  of  St.  Thomas.  From  thence  he  sailed  to 
Charleston,  South  Carolina,  where  he  arrived  about 
the  time  that  peace  was  concluded.  After  that 
Perry  found  employment  in  the  East  Indian  trade 
until  1 798,  when  he  was  appointed  to  the  command 
of  the  U.S.S.  General  Greene.  He  was  the  head  of 
a  large  family,  having  married  in  1783,  the  oldest 
of  his  children  being  Oliver  Hazard.  Of  the  four 


I4O  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE   WAR  OF    l8l2 

other  sons,  three  of  them  also  entered  the  navy  and 
served  with  distinction. 

Oliver  Hazard  as  a  boy  was  not  physically  strong ; 
he  grew  tall  at  an  early  age,  and  his  strength  was 
not  in  keeping  with  his  inches.  Nevertheless,  he 
declared  himself  positively  in  favor  of  taking  up  the 
sea  as  a  profession,  and  in  April  of  1799,  after  his 
father  had  been  in  command  of  the  General  Greene 
for  one  year,  to  his  delight  young  Perry  received 
his  midshipman's  warrant,  and  joined  the  same 
ship. 

The  young  midshipman  made  several  cruises 
with  his  father  to  the  West  Indies ;  his  health  and 
strength  increased  with  the  life  in  the  open  air ;  he 
showed  capacity  and  courage,  and  participated  in  the 
action  that  resulted  in  the  reduction  of  Jacmel  in 
connection  with  the  land  attack  of  the  celebrated 
General  Toussaint's  army.  This  was  the  last  active 
service  of  the  General  Greene;  she  was  sold  and 
broken  up,  and  upon  the  reduction  of  the  navy  in 
1 80 1  the  elder  Perry  left  the  service.  In  1803  h*3 
son  returned  from  a  cruise  in  the  Mediterranean, 
and  was  promoted  to  an  acting  lieutenancy. 

In  our  naval  history  of  this  time  the  recurrence 
of  various  names,  and  the  references  made  over  and 
over  again  to  the  same  actions  and  occurrences,  are 
easily  accountable  when  we  think  of  the  small  num 
ber  of  vessels  the  United  States  possessed  and  the 
surprisingly  few  officers  on  the  pay-rolls.  The  high 
feeling  of  esprit  de  corps  that  existed  among  them 


THE    BATTLE   OF   LAKE   ERIE  141 

came  from  the  fact  that  they  each  had  a  chance  to 
prove  their  courage  and  fidelity.  There  was  a  high 
standard  set  for  them  to  reach. 

Oliver  Hazard  Perry  went  through  the  same 
school  that,  luckily  for  us,  graduated  so  many  fine 
officers  and  sailors  —  that  of  the  Tripolitan  war. 
After  he  returned  to  America,  at  the  conclusion  of 
peace  with  Tripoli,  he  served  in  various  capacities 
along  the  coast,  proving  himself  an  efficient  leader 
upon  more  than  one  occasion.  The  first  service 
upon  which  the  young  officer  was  employed  after 
the  commencement  of  the  war  with  England  was 
taking  charge  of  a  flotilla  of  gunboats  stationed  at 
Newport. 

As  this  service  was  neither  arduous  nor  calculated 
to  bring  chances  for  active  employment  in  the  way 
of  fighting,  time  hung  on  his  hands,  and  Perry 
chafed  greatly  under  his  enforced  retirement.  At 
last  he  petitioned  the  government  to  place  him  in 
active  service,  stating  plainly  his  desire  to  be  at 
tached  to  the  naval  forces  that  were  then  gathering 
under  the  command  of  Commodore  Chauncey  on 
the  lakes.  His  request  was  granted,  to  his  great 
joy,  and  he  set  out  with  all  despatch. 

It  was  at  an  early  period  of  the  war  that  the  gov 
ernment  had  seen  the  immense  importance  of  gain 
ing  the  command  of  the  western  lakes,  and  in  Octo 
ber  of  1812  Commodore  Chauncey  had  been  ordered 
to  take  seven  hundred  seamen  and  one  hundred  and 
fifty  marines  and  proceed  by  forced  marches  to  Lake 


142  NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE  WAR  OF   1 8 12 

Ontario.  There  had  been  sent  ahead  of  him  a  large 
number  of  ship-builders  and  carpenters,  and  great 
activity  was  displayed  in  building  and  outfitting  a 
fleet  which  might  give  to  the  United  States  the 
possession  of  Lake  Ontario.  There  was  no  great 
opposition  made  to  the  American  arms  by  the  Brit 
ish  on  this  lake,  but  the  unfortunate  surrender  of 
General  Hull  had  placed  the  English  in  undisputed 
possession  of  Lake  Erie. 

In  March,  1813,  Captain  Perry  having  been  de 
spatched  to  the  port  of  Erie,  arrived  there  to  find  a 
fleet  of  ten  sail  being  prepared  to  take  the  waters 
against  the  British  fleet  under  Commodore  Barclay 
— an  old  and  experienced  leader,  a  hero  of  the  days 
of  Nelson  and  the  Victory. 

Before  Perry's  arrival  a  brilliant  little  action  had 
taken  place  in  October  of  the  previous  year.  Two 
British  vessels,  the  Detroit  and  the  Caledonia,  came 
down  the  lake  and  anchored  under  the  guns  of  the 
British  Fort  Erie  on  the  Canadian  side.  At  that 
time  Lieutenant  Elliot  was  superintending  the  na 
val  affairs  on  Lake  Erie,  and  the  news  having  been 
brought  to  him  of  the  arrival  of  the  English  vessels 
on  the  opposite  side,  he  immediately  determined  to 
make  a  night  attack  and  cut  them  out.  For  a  long 
time  a  body  of  seamen  had  been  tramping  their 
toilsome  march  from  the  Hudson  River  to  the 
lakes,  and  Elliot,  hearing  that  they  were  but  some 
thirty  miles  away,  despatched  a  messenger  to  hasten 
them  forward ;  at  the  same  time  he  began  to  pre- 


THE   BATTLE   OF  LAKE   ERIE  143 

pare  two  small  boats  for  the  expedition.  About 
twelve  o'clock  the  wearied  seamen,  footsore  and 
hungry,  arrived,  and  then  it  was  discovered  that  in 
the  whole  draft  there  were  but  twenty  pistols,  and 
no  cutlasses,  pikes,  or  battle-axes.  But  Elliot  was 
not  dismayed.  Applying  to  General  Smyth,  who 
was  in  command  of  the  regulars,  for  arms  and  as 
sistance,  he  was  supplied  with  a  few  muskets  and 
pistols,  and  about  fifty  soldiers  were  detached  to  aid 
him. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  Elliot  had  picked  out  his 
crews  and  manned  the  two  boats,  putting  about  fifty 
men  in  each ;  but  he  did  not  stir  until  one  o'clock 
on  the  following  morning,  when  in  the  pitch  dark 
ness  he  set  out  from  the  mouth  of  Buffalo  Creek, 
with  a  long  pull  ahead.  The  wind  was  not  strong 
enough  to  make  good  use  of  the  sails,  and  the  poor 
sailors  were  so  weary  that  those  who  were  not  row 
ing  lay  sleeping,  huddled  together  on  their  arms, 
and  displaying  great  listlessness  and  little  desire  for 
fighting.  At  three  o'clock  Elliot  was  alongside  the 
British  vessels.  It  was  a  complete  surprise  ;  in  ten 
minutes  he  had  full  possession  of  them  and  had 
secured  the  crews  as  prisoners.  But  after  making 
every  exertion  to  get  under  sail,  he  found  to  his 
bitter  disappointment  that  the  wind  was  unfortu 
nately  so  light  that  the  rapid  current  made  them 
gather  an  increasing  sternway  every  instant.  An 
other  unfortunate  circumstance  was  that  he  would 
have  to  pass  the  British  fort  below  and  quite  close 


144  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE  WAR  OF    l8l2 

to  hand,  for  he  was  on  the  Canadian  shore.  As  the 
vessels  came  in  sight  of  the  British  battery,  the  lat 
ter  opened  a  heavy  fire  of  round  and  grape,  and  sev 
eral  pieces  of  flying  artillery  stationed  in  the  woods 
took  up  the  chorus. 

The  Caledonia,  being  a  smaller  vessel,  succeeded 
in  getting  out  of  the  current,  and  was  beached  in  as 
safe  a  position  as  possible  under  one  of  the  Ameri 
can  batteries  at  Black  Rock,  across  the  river ;  but 
Elliot  was  compelled  to  drop  his  anchor  at  the 
distance  of  about  four  hundred  yards  from  two  of 
the  British  batteries.  He  was  almost  at  their  mercy, 
and  in  the  extremity  he  tried  the  effect  of  a  ruse,  or, 
better,  made  a  threat  that  we  must  believe  he  never 
intended  carrying  into  effect. 

Observing  an  officer  standing  on  the  top  of  an 
earthwork,  he  hailed  him  at  the  top  of  his  voice : 

"  Heigh,  there,  Mr.  John  Bull !  if  you  fire  another 
gun  at  me  I'll  bring  up  all  my  prisoners,  and  you 
can  use  them  for  targets,"  he  shouted. 

The  answer  was  the  simultaneous  discharge  of  all 
of  the  Englishman's  guns.  But  not  a  single  prisoner 
was  brought  on  deck  to  share  the  fate  of  the  Ameri 
cans,  who  felt  the  effect  of  the  fire,  and  who  now  be 
gan  to  make  strenuous  efforts  to  return  it.  Elliot 
brought  all  of  the  guns  on  one  side  of  his  ship,  and 
replied  briskly,  until  he  suddenly  discovered  that  all 
of  his  ammunition  was  expended.  Now  there  was 
but  one  chance  left :  to  cut  the  cable,  drift  down 
the  river  out  of  the  reach  of  the  heavy  batteries,  and 


THE  BATTLE   OF   LAKE   ERIE  145 

make  a  stand  against  the  flying  artillery  with  small 
arms.  This  was  accordingly  done,  but  as  the  sails 
were  raised  the  fact  was  ascertained  that  the  pilot 
had  taken  French  leave.  No  one  else  knew  the 
channel,  and,  swinging  about,  the  vessel  drifted 
astern  for  some  ten  minutes,  then,  fortunately  strik 
ing  a  cross  current,  she  brought  up  on  the  shore  of 
Squaw  Island,  near  the  American  side.  Elliot  sent 
a  boat  to  the  mainland  with  the  prisoners  first.  It 
experienced  great  difficulty  in  making  the  passage, 
being  almost  swamped  once  or  twice,  and  it  did  not 
return.  Affairs  had  reached  a  crisis,  but  with  the 
aid  of  a  smaller  boat,  and  by  the  exercise  of  great 
care,  the  remainder  of  the  prisoners  and  the  crew 
succeeded  in  getting  on  shore  at  about  eight  o'clock 
in  the  morning.  At  about  eleven  o'clock  a  com 
pany  of  British  regulars  rowed  over  from  the  Cana 
dian  shore  to  Squaw  Island  and  boarded  the  Detroit, 
their  intention  being  to  destroy  her,  and  burn  up 
the  munitions  with  which  she  was  laden.  Seeing 
their  purpose,  Major  Cyrenus  Chapin,  a  good  Yan 
kee  from  Massachusetts,  called  for  volunteers  to 
return  to  the  island,  and,  despite  the  difficulties 
ahead,  almost  every  man  signified  his  willingness  to 
go.  Quickly  making  his  selection,  Major  Chapin 
succeeded  in  landing  with  about  thirty  men  at  his 
back,  and  drove  off  the  English  before  they  had 
managed  to  start  the  flames.  About  three  o'clock 
a  second  attempt  was  made,  but  it  was  easily  re 
pulsed. 

10 


146  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE  WAR  OF    l8l2 

The  Detroit  mounted  six  long  6-pounders,  and 
her  crew  numbered  some  sixty  men.  She  was  worth 
saving,  but  so  badly  was  she  grounded  on  the  island 
that  it  was  impossible  to  get  her  off,  and,  after  tak 
ing  her  stores  out,  Elliot  set  her  on  fire  to  get  rid 
of  her.  The  little  Caledonia  was  quite  a  valuable 
capture,  aside  from  her  armament,  as  she  had  on 
board  a  cargo  of  furs  whose  value  has  been  esti 
mated  at  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars. 

But  to  return  to  the  condition  of  affairs  upon  the 
arrival  of  Captain  Perry.  The  fleet  that  in  a  few 
weeks  he  had  under  his  command  consisted  of  the 
brig  Lawrence,  of  20  guns,  to  which  he  attached  his 
flag ;  the  Niagara,  of  20  guns,  in  command  of  Elliot; 
and  the  schooners  Caledonia  and  Ariel,  of  3  and 
4  guns  respectively.  There  were  besides  six  small 
er  vessels,  carrying  from  one  to  two  guns  each ; 
in  all,  Perry's  fleet  mounted  55  guns.  The  Brit 
ish  fleet,  under  command  of  Barclay,  consisted  of 
the  Detroit  (named  after  the  one  that  was  wrecked), 
the  Queen  Charlotte,  and  the  Lady  Prevost.  They 
mounted  19,  17,  and  13  guns,  in  the  order  named. 
The  brig  Hunter  carried  10  guns;  the  sloop  Little 
Belt,  3;  and  the  schooner  Chippeway,  i  gun;  in  all, 
Barclay  had  63  guns,  not  counting  several  swivels — 
that  is,  more  than  eight  guns  to  the  good. 

The  morning  of  the  roth  of  September  dawned 
fine  and  clear.  Perry,  with  his  fleet  anchored  about 
him,  lay  in  the  quiet  waters  of  Put-in  Bay.  A  light 
breeze  was  blowing  from  the  south.  Very  early  a 


THE   BATTLE   OF   LAKE   ERIE  147 

number  of  sail  were  seen  out  on  the  lake  beyond 
the  point,  and  soon  the  strangers  were  discovered 
to  be  the  British  fleet.  Everything  depended  now 
upon  the  speed,  with  which  the  Americans  could 
prepare  for  action.  In  twelve  minutes  every  vessel 
was  under  way  and  sailing  out  to  meet  the  on- 
comers ;  the  Lawrence  led  the  line.  As  the  two 
fleets  approached,  the  British  concentrated  the  fire 
of  their  long  and  heavy  guns  upon  her.  She  came 
on  in  silence ;  at  her  peak  was  flying  a  huge  motto- 
flag  ;  plain  to  view  were  the  words  of  the  brave  com 
mander  of  the  Chesapeake :  "  Don't  give  up  the  ship." 

The  responsibility  that  rested  upon  the  young 
commander's  shoulders  was  great ;  his  position  was 
most  precarious.  This  was  the  first  action  between 
the  fleets  of  the  two  hostile  countries ;  it  was  a  battle 
for  the  dominion  of  the  lakes;  defeat  meant  that  the 
English  could  land  at  any  time  an  expeditionary 
force  at  any  point  they  chose  along  the  shores  of 
our  natural  northern  barrier.  The  Lawrence  had 
slipped  quite  a  way  ahead  of  the  others,  and  Perry 
found  that  he  would  have  to  close,  in  order  to  re 
turn  the  English  fire,  as  at  the  long  distance  he  was 
surely  being  ripped  to  pieces. 

Signalling  the  rest  of  the  fleet  to  follow  him,  he 
made  all  sail  and  bore  down  upon  the  English;  but 
to  quote  from  the  account  in  the  Naval  Temple^ 
printed  in  the  year  1816:  "Every  brace  and  bow 
line  of  the  Lawrence  being  shot  away,  she  became 
unmanageable,  notwithstanding  the  great  exer- 


148  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE  WAR  OF    1 8 12 

tion  of  the  sailing-master.  In  this  situation  she 
sustained  the  action  within  canister  distance  up 
wards  of  two  hours,  until  every  gun  was  rendered 
useless,  and  the  greater  part  of  her  crew  either  killed 
or  wounded." 

It  is  easy  to  imagine  the  feelings  of  Perry  at  this 
moment.  The  smaller  vessels  of  his  fleet  had  not 
come  within  firing  distance;  there  was  absolutely 
nothing  for  him  to  do  on  board  the  flagship  except 
to  lower  his  flag.  Yet  there  was  one  forlorn  hope 
that  occurred  to  the  young  commander,  and  without 
hesitation  he  called  away  the  only  boat  capable  of 
floating ;  taking  his  flag,  he  quitted  the  Lawrence, 
and  rowed  off  for  the  Niagara.  The  most  wonder 
ful  accounts  of  hair-breadth  escapes  could  not  equal 
that  of  Perry  upon  this  occasion.  Why  his  boat 
was  not  swamped,  or  its  crew  and  commander  killed, 
cannot  be  explained.  Three  of  the  British  ships 
fired  broadsides  at  him  at  pistol-shot  distance,  as  he 
passed  by  them  in  succession ;  and  although  the 
water  boiled  about  him,  and  the  balls  whistled  but 
a  few  inches  overhead,  he  reached  the  Niagara  in 
safety. 

There  are  but  a  few  parallel  cases  to  this,  of  a 
commander  leaving  one  ship  and  transferring  his 
flag  to  another  in  the  heat  of  action. 

The  Duke  of  York  upon  one  occasion  shifted  his 
flag,  in  the  battle  of  Solebay;  and  in  the  battle  of 
Texel,  fought  on  August  n,  1673,  the  English 
Admiral  Sprague  shifted  his  flag  from  the  Royal 


1 


THE   BATTLE   OF   LAKE   ERIE  149 

Prince  to  the  St.  George,  and  the  Dutch  Admiral 
Van  Tromp  shifted  his  flag  from  the  Golden  Lion 
to  the  Comet,  owing  to  the  former  vessel  being  prac 
tically  destroyed  by  a  concentrated  fire.  This  does 
not  detract  from  the  gallantry  of  Perry's  achieve 
ment.  The  danger  he  faced  was  great,  and  he  was 
probably  closer  to  the  enemy's  vessels  than  any  of 
the  commanders  above  mentioned. 

Perry's  younger  brother,  who  was  but  a  midship 
man,  was  one  of  the  seven  other  men  in  the  boat. 
They  left  on  board  the  Lawrence  not  above  a  half- 
score  of  able-bodied  men  to  look  after  the  numerous 
wounded.  Owing  to  the  opinions  of  many  of  the 
contemporary  writers,  who  gave  way  to  an  intense 
feeling  of  partisanship,  some  bitterness  was  occa 
sioned,  and  sides  were  taken  in  regard  to  the  ac 
tions  of  Master  Commandant  Elliot  and  his  superior 
officer ;  but  looking  back  at  it  from  this  day,  we  can 
see  little  reason  for  any  feeling  of  jealousy.  It  is 
hard  to  point  the  finger  at  any  one  on  the  Ameri 
can  side  in  this  action  and  say  that  he  did  not  do 
his  duty.  As  Perry  reached  the  side  of  the  Niagara 
the  wind  died  away  until  it  was  almost  calm ;  the 
smaller  vessels,  the  sloops  and  schooners — theSomers, 
the  Scorpion,  the  Tigress,  the  Ohio,  and  the  Porcu 
pine — were  seen  to  be  well  astern.  Upon  Perry  set 
ting  foot  on  deck,  Elliot  congratulated  him  upon  the 
way  he  had  left  his  ship,  and  volunteered  to  bring 
up  the  boats  to  windward,  if  he  could  be  spared. 
Upon  receiving  permission  he  jumped  into  the  boat 


I$O  NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE  WAR   OF    l8l2 

in  which  Perry  had  rowed  from  the  Lawrence,  and 
set  out  to  bring  up  all  the  forces.  Every  effort  was 
made  to  form  a  front  of  battle,  and  the  little  gun 
boats,  urged  on  by  sweeps  and  oars,  were  soon  en 
gaged  in  a  race  for  glory.  In  the  meantime,  how 
ever,  the  English  had  slackened  their  fire  as  they 
saw  the  big  flag  lowered  from  the  Lawrences  mast 
head  ;  they  supposed  that  the  latter  had  struck, 
and  set  up  a  tremendous  cheering.  This  was 
hushed  as  they  caught  sight  of  the  flash  of  oars 
and  realized  what  was  going  forward.  In  a  few  min 
utes  out  of  the  thick  smoke  came  the  Niagara, 
breaking  their  line,  and  firing  her  broadsides  with 
such  good  execution  that  great  confusion  followed 
throughout  the  fleet.  Two  of  their  larger  brigs,  the 
Queen  Charlotte  and  Detroit,  ran  afoul  of  each 
other,  and  the  Niagara,  giving  signal  for  close  ac 
tion,  ran  across  the  bow  of  one  ship  and  the  stern  of 
the  other,  raking  them  both  with  fearful  effect; 
then  squaring  away,  and  running  astern  of  the  Lady 
Prevost,  she  got  in  another  raking  fire,  and,  sheering 
off,  made  for  the  Hunter.  Now  the  little  i-gun 
and  2-gun  vessels  of  the  American  fleet  were  giving 
good  accounts  of  themselves. 

Although  their  crews  were  exposed  to  full  view 
and  stood  waist-high  above  the  bulwarks,  they  did 
no  dodging ;  their  shots  were  well  directed,  and  they 
raked  the  Englishmen  fore  and  aft,  carrying  away 
all  the  masts  of  the  Detroit  and  the  mizzenmast  of 
the  Queen  Charlotte. 


THE   BATTLE   OF   LAKE   ERIE  151 

A  few  minutes  after  3  P.M.,  a  white  flag  at  end 
of  a  boarding-pike  was  lifted  above  the  bulwarks 
of  the  Hunter.  At  the  sight  of  this  the  Chippeway 
and  Little  Belt  crowded  all  sail  and  tried  to  escape, 
but  in  less  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour  they  were  capt 
ured  and  brought  back  by  the  Trippe  and  the  Scor 
pion,  under  the  commands  of  Lieutenant  Thomas 
Holdup  and  Sailing-master  Stephen  Champlin. 
With  a  ringing  cheer  the  word  went  through  the 
line  that  the  British  had  surrendered.  The  sover 
eignty  of  Lake  Erie  belonged  to  America.  The 
question  of  supremacy  was  settled. 

The  events  of  the  day  had  been  most  dramatic. 
This  fight  amid  the  wooded  shores  and  extending 
arms  of  the  bay  was  viewed  from  shore  by  hundreds 
of  anxious  Americans.  The  bright  sunlight  and  calm 
surface  of  the  lake,  the  enshrouding  fog  of  smoke 
that  from  shore  hid  all  but  the  spurts  of  flame  and 
the  topmasts  and  occasionally  the  flags  of  the  vessels 
engaged,  all  had  combined  to  make  a  drama  of  the 
most  exciting  and  awe-inspiring  interest.  Nor  was 
the  last  act  to  be  a  letting  down.  Perry  determined 
to  receive  the  surrender  of  the  defeated  enemy 
nowhere  else  but  on  the  deck  of  his  old  flag-ship 
that  was  slowly  drifting  up  into  the  now  inter 
mingled  fleets. 

Once  more  he  lowered  his  broad  pennant,  and 
rowed  out  for  the  crippled  Lawrence.  He  was  re 
ceived  on  board  with  three  feeble  cheers,  the 
wounded  joining  in,  and  a  number  of  men  crawling 


NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE  WAR  OF   l8l2 

up  from  the  slaughter-pen  of  a  cockpit,  begrimed 
and  bloody. 

On  board  the  Lawrence  there  had  been  left  but 
one  surgeon,  Usher  Parsons.  He  came  on  deck  red 
to  the  elbows  from  his  work  below,  and  the  terrible 
execution  done  by  the  concentrated  English  fire 
was  evident  to  the  English  officers  as  they  stepped 
on  board  the  flag-ship.  Dead  men  lay  everywhere. 
A  whole  gun's  crew  were  littered  about  alongside  of 
their  wrecked  piece.  From  below  came  the  mourn 
ful  howling  of  a  dog.  The  cockpit  had  been  above 
the  water's  surface,  owing  to  the  Lawrence's  shallow 
draught,  and  here  was  a  frightful  sight.  The  wound 
ed  had  been  killed  outright  or  wounded  again  as 
they  lay  on  the  surgeon's  table.  Twice  had  Perry 
called  away  the  surgeon's  aids  to  help  work  ship,  and 
once  his  hail  of  "  Can  any  wounded  men  below  there 
pull  a  rope  ?"  was  answered  by  three  or  four  brave, 
mangled  fellows  crawling  up  on  deck  to  try  to  do 
their  duty.  All  this  was  apparent  to  the  English 
officers  as  they  stepped  over  the  bodies  of  the  dead 
and  went  aft  to  where  Perry  stood  with  his  arms 
folded,  no  vainglorious  expression  on  his  face,  but 
one  of  sadness  for  the  deeds  that  had  been  done 
that  day.  Each  of  the  English  officers  in  turn  pre 
sented  his  sword,  and  in  reply  Perry  bowed  and 
requested  that  the  side-arms  should  be  retained. 
As  soon  as  the  formalities  had  been  gone  through 
with,  Perry  tore  off  the  back  of  an  old  letter  he 
took  from  his  pocket,  and,  using  his  stiff  hat  for  a 


THE  BATTLE   OF   LAKE   ERIE  153 

writing-desk,  scribbled  the  historic  message  which 
a  detractor  has  charged  he  cribbed  from  Julius 
Caesar:  "  We  have  met  the  enemy  and  they  are 
ours : — two  ships,  two  brigs,  one  schooner,  and  one 
sloop." 

Calling  away  a  small  boat,  he  sent  Midshipman 
Forrest  with  the  report  to  General  William  Henry 
Harrison. 

A  computation  has  been  made  by  one  historian 
of  the  number  of  guns  directed  against  the  Law 
rence  in  the  early  part  of  the  action.  The  English 
had  heavier  armaments  and  more  long  guns ;  they 
could  fight  at  a  distance  where  the  chubby  carron- 
ade  was  useless.  The  Lawrence  had  but  seven  guns 
whose  shots  could  reach  her  opponents,  while  the 
British  poured  into  her  the  concentrated  fire  of 
thirty-two !  This  accounts  for  the  frightful  carnage. 

When  the  Lawrence  was  being  shot  through  and 
through,  and  there  were  but  three  guns  that  could 
reply  to  the  enemy's  fire,  Lieutenant  Yarnell,  dis 
figured  by  a  bad  wound  across  his  face  from  a  splin 
ter,  came  up  to  where  Perry  was  standing.  "  The 
officers  of  my  division  have  all  been  cut  down,"  he 
said.  "Can  I  have  others?"  Perry  looked  about 
him  and  sent  three  of  his  aids  to  help  Yarnell,  but 
in  less  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour  the  lieutenant 
returned  again.  His  words  were  almost  the  same 
as  before,  but  he  had  a  fresh  wound  in  his  shoulder. 
"These  officers,"  he  said,  "have  been  cut  down 
also." 


154  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF   THE   WAR   OF    l8l2 

"  There  are  no  more,"  Perry  replied.  "  Do  your 
best  without  them." 

Three  times  was  Yarnell  wounded,  and  three 
times  after  his  wounds  had  been  hurriedly  dressed 
he  returned  to  his  post. 

Dulany  Forrest,  the  midshipman  whom  Perry 
sent  with  the  despatch  to  General  Harrison,  had  a 
most  remarkable  escape.  He  was  a  brave  lad  who 
had  faced  death  before  ;  he  had  seen  the  splinters  fly 
in  the  action  between  the  Constitution  and  the  Java. 
Forrest  was  standing  close  to  Captain  Perry  when  a 
grape-shot  that  had  glanced  from  the  side  of  a  port 
struck  the  mast,  and,  again  deflected,  caught  the 
midshipman  in  the  chest.  He  fell,  gasping,  at  Per 
ry's  feet. 

"  Are  you  badly  hurt,  lad  ?"  asked  the  latter, 
anxiously,  as  he  raised  the  midshipman  on  his  knee. 

"  No,  sir ;  not  much,"  the  latter  answered,  as  he 
caught  his  breath.  "  But  this  is  my  shot,  I  think." 
And  with  that  he  extracted  the  half-spent  ball  from 
his  clothing  and  slipped  it  into  his  pocket. 

Midshipman  Henry  Laub  was  killed  in  the  cock 
pit  just  after  having  had  a  dressing  applied  to  his 
shattered  right  arm.  A  Narragansett  Indian  who 
served  as  a  gunner  in  the  forward  division  of  the 
Lawrence  was  killed  in  the  same  manner. 

A  summary  of  the  losses  on  both  sides  shows 
that,  despite  the  death-list  of  the  Lawrence,  the 
English  loss  was  more  severe.  On  board  the 
American  flag-ship  twenty-two  were  killed  and 


THE   BATTLE   OF   LAKE  ERIE  155 

sixty-one  were  wounded.  On  board  the  Niagara 
two  killed  and  twenty  -  five  wounded.  The  Ariel 
had  one  killed  and  three  wounded.  The  Scorpion, 
two  killed.  The  Caledonia,  three  wounded  ;  and  the 
Somers  and  Trippe  each  showed  but  two  wounded 
men  apiece.  In  all,  twenty-seven  were  killed  and 
ninety -six  wounded  on  the  American  side.  The 
comparison  of  the  loss  of  the  rest  of  the  fleet  and 
that  suffered  by  the  Lawrence  makes  a  remarkable 
showing.  The  English  lost  forty-one  killed  and 
ninety -four  wounded  altogether.  A  number  of 
Canadian  Indians  were  found  on  board  the  English 
vessels.  They  had  been  engaged  as  marksmen,  but 
the  first  shot  had  taken  all  the  fight  out  of  them 
and  they  had  hidden  and  skulked  for  safety. 

Perry's  treatment  of  the  prisoners  was  magnani 
mous.  Everything  that  would  tend  to  relieve  the 
sufferings  of  the  wounded  was  done,  and  relief  was 
distributed  impartially  among  the  sufferers  on  both 
sides.  The  result  of  this  action  was  a  restoration 
of  practical  peace  along  the  frontier  of  the  lake. 
The  British  evacuated  Detroit  and  Michigan,  and 
the  dreaded  invasion  of  the  Indians  that  the  settlers 
had  feared  so  long  was  headed  off. 

Perry,  who  held  but  a  commission  of  master  com 
mandant,  despite  his  high  acting  rank,  was  promoted 
at  once  to  a  captaincy,  the  date  of  his  commission 
bearing  the  date  of  his  victory.  He  was  given  the 
command  of  the  frigate  Java,  a  new  44-gun  ship 
then  fitting  out  at  Baltimore.  Gold  medals  were 


156  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE   WAR   OF    l8l2 

awarded  to  him  and  to  Elliot  by  Congress,  and  sil 
ver  medals  to  each  of  the  commissioned  officers. 
A  silver  medal  also  was  given  to  the  nearest  male 
relative  of  Lieutenant  Brooks  of  the  marines,  and 
swords  to  the  nearest  male  relatives  of  Midshipmen 
Laub,  Claxton,  and  Clark.  Three  months'  extra  pay 
was  voted  to  all  the  officers,  seamen,  and  marines, 
and,  in  addition,  Congress  gave  $225,000  in  prize- 
money,  to  be  divided  among  the  American  forces 
engaged  in  the  action.  This  sum  was  distributed 
in  the  following  proportions:  Commodore  Chaun- 
cey,  who  was  in  command  on  the  lakes,  $12,750;  Per 
ry  and  Elliot,  $7140  each — besides  which  Congress 
voted  Perry  an  additional  $5000;  the  commanders 
of  gunboats,  lieutenants,  sailing-masters,  and  lieu 
tenants  of  marines  received  $2295  each;  midship 
men,  $811 ;  petty  officers,  $447  per  capita;  and  ma 
rines  and  sailors,  $209  apiece. 

No  money,  however,  could  repay  the  brave  men 
for  the  service  they  had  rendered  the  country.  To 
day  the  dwellers  along  the  shores  of  Lake  Erie  pre 
serve  the  anniversary  of  the  battle  as  an  occasion  for 
rejoicing.  While  the  naval  actions  at  sea  reflected 
honor  and  glory  to  their  commanders  and  credit  to 
the  service,  the  winning  of  the  battle  of  Lake  Erie 
averted  a  national  catastrophe. 


XI 

THE   DEFENCE 

OF  THE    -GENERAL  ARMSTRONG" 
[September  26th,  1814] 


SAMUEL  CHESTER  REID  was  born  at 
Norwich,  Connecticut,  in  August,  1783. 
Like  the  majority  of  the  commanders  who 
gained  renown  during  the  war  of  1812,  his  sea-faring 
life  began  at  a  very  early  age.  At  eleven  years  he 
made  his  first  voyage,  and  shortly  afterwards  he  was 
captured  by  a  French  privateer,  and  for  some  time 
confined  in  the  prison  at  Basseterre.  He  was  re 
leased  after  six  months'  imprisonment,  and,  turning 
towards  the  regular  navy,  he  served  as  acting  mid 
shipman  on  the  U.S.S.  Baltimore,  and  saw  a  good 
bit  of  active  service  with  the  squadron  under  Com 
modore  Truxton  in  the  West  Indies. 

As  he  held  no  regular  commission  in  the  service, 
he  saw  the  great  chance  and  opportunity  presented 
for  privateering  enterprise,  and  took  command  of 
the  General  Armstrong,  privateer.  Her  cruises  were 
uniformly  successful,  and  had  it  not  been  that  cir 
cumstances  forced  her  into  national  prominence  she 
would  probably  have  been  forgotten  like  a  hundred 
others  of  her  class  that  had  a  vogue  at  the  time. 
They  enjoyed  the  popularity  of  the  successful  actor, 
but  their  names  have  gone  out  of  people's  memories 
after  their  short  careers  of  glory. 

But  there  has    probably    been  as  much  writing 


160  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE   WAR  OF    l8l2 

done  about  the  wonderful  defence  of  the  General 
Armstrong,  under  Captain  Samuel  Reid,  as  there 
has  been  about  any  action  in  which  ships  of  our 
regular  navy  participated.  Captain  Reid  died  in 
1 86 1,  but  even  after  his  death  the  "Armstrong  af 
fair  "  was  long  kept  before  the  public  mind,  owing 
to  the  claims  of  the  heirs  of  the  owners  of  the 
American  vessel  for  damages  against  the  Portu 
guese  government. 

The  General Armstrong 'was  a  fast-sailing,  clever 
ly  handled  little  vessel,  and  she  sailed  from  the  port 
of  New  York,  her  crew  having  been  recruited  there. 
It  was  a  motley  gathering,  as  a  great  many  of 
the  crews  of  these  vessels  were,  being  composed  of 
the  pick  of  the  merchant  service,  a  few  down- 
east  fishermen,  and,  not  strange  to  relate,  advent 
urers  of  every  sort  and  description,  who,  however, 
proved  themselves  to  be  great  fighters  when  under 
competent  leadership.  Her  full  complement  was 
about  ninety  men.  The  brig's  armament  was  rather 
a  peculiar  one ;  she  carried  no  carronades,  but 
had  three  long  nines  on  either  side,  and  a  long  24- 
pounder  amidships.  She  could  fight  at  a  greater 
distance  than  many  of  the  vessels  belonging  to  the 
regular  service. 

Farragut  in  his  journal  mentions  that  when  he  was 
a  midshipman  of  the  Essex,  sailing  from  New  York, 
a  sail  was  sighted  off  the  weather  beam.  To  the 
surprise  of  the  officers  she  was  carrying  more  can 
vas  than  might  have  been  considered  prudent  con- 


THE  DEFENCE  OF  THE  "GENERAL  ARMSTRONG"  l6l 

sidering  the  weather,  but  she  stood  up  under  it  and 
legged  it  so  fast  that  she  soon  came  within  hailing 
distance  of  the  Essex.  The  latter  vessel,  not  know 
ing  her  character,  had  her  men  at  quarters.  All  the 
officers  admired  the  way  the  little  brig  was  handled. 
Upon  speaking  her  she  proved  to  be  the  General 
Armstrong,  bound  upon  her  second  cruise  into  Brit 
ish  waters — her  first  had  been  most  successful. 

But  to  the  event  which  has  handed  her  name 
down  to  history.  On  September  26th,  1814,  the 
General  Armstrong  came  to  anchor  in  the  Portu 
guese  harbor  of  Fayal.  At  about  sunset  of  the 
same  day  three  large  ships,  flying  the  British  flag, 
were  seen  to  enter  the  roads. 

As  the  privateer  lay  some  distance  out  and  it  was 
dead  calm  within  the  harbor,  Captain  Reid  deemed 
it  wise  to  trust  entirely  to  the  neutrality  of  the  port, 
and  to  claim  the  protection  that  should  be  given 
to  any  vessel  by  a  neutral  power. 

As  darkness  fell  he  saw  some  suspicious  actions 
on  the  part  of  the  British  ships — the  Carnation 
coming  as  close  as  pistol-shot  range,  and  the  others 
approaching  to  a  distance  of  less  than  two  miles ; 
through  the  glass  Reid  could  see  that  boats  were 
being  lowered.  He  trusted,  however,  for  some  time 
in  the  good  faith  and  justice  of  the  British  captains, 
but  these  preparations  suggested  no  peaceful  inten 
tions,  and  he  began  to  warp  his  brig  closer  in  to 
shore,  anchoring  at  last,  stem  and  stern,  under  the 
very  guns  of  the  castle  that  commanded  the  harbor. 


l62  NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE  WAR  OF   l8l2 

Calling  his  men  on  deck,  he  told  them  that  he 
thought  that  the  British  intended,  if  possible,  to  cut 
him  out.  At  once  the  temper  of  the  crew  was  evi 
dent.  A  boatswain's  mate  approached  him,  and,  sa 
luting,  said:  "You  can  trust  in  us,  sir.  What  you 
say  we  do" 

It  was  growing  dusk.  At  about  eight  o'clock 
Captain  Reid  plainly  saw  four  boats  filled  with 
armed  men  row  down  towards  him.  As  soon  as  they 
were  within  hailing  distance  he  stepped  upon  the 
bulwarks,  and,  making  a  trumpet  of  his  hands,  he 
shouted:  "Boats  there!  Approach  no  nearer;  for 
your  safety  I  warn  you." 

The  rowing  ceased,  and  there  was  evidently  a 
consultation  among  the  officers  in  command.  Cap 
tain  Reid's  men  were  standing  at  their  quarters. 
Two  of  the  guns  were  heavily  loaded  with  grape. 
After  talking  a  few  minutes  it  was  evident  that  the 
English  decided  to  risk  the  venture,  for  the  oars 
caught  the  water  at  once,  and  they  came  dashing  on 
towards  the  American  vessel.  All  dissembling  was 
laid  aside,  and  Reid  ordered  his  men  to  fire.  Two 
of  the  boats  mounted  swivels  forward  and  returned 
shots  in  answer.  A  discharge  of  small-arms  also 
began,  but  the  torrent  of  grape  that  had  raked  one 
of  the  cutters  had  killed  a  first  lieutenant  and  several 
of  his  men,  and  most  of  the  others  were  wounded. 
The  boats  swung  back,  and  made  for  the  sanctuary 
of  the  vessels  in  the  harbor. 

The  moon  had  now  risen,  and  it  was  very  light. 


THE  DEFENCE   OF   THE   "  GENERAL  ARMSTRONG"   163 

Large  crowds  had  gathered  on  the  shore,  but  the 
castle  displayed  no  intention  of  taking  any  part  in 
the  affair. 

The  commanders  of  His  Britannic  Majesty's  ships 
Plantagenet,  Rota,  and  Carnation  held  a  consulta 
tion.  It  resulted  in  a  "  most  outrageous  violation  of 
the  neutrality  of  a  friendly  port,  and  utter  contempt 
of  the  laws  of  civilized  nations,"  to  quote  from  the 
report  of  John  G.  Dabney,  American  consul  at 
Fayal. 

Angered  at  the  result  of  their  first  attempt,  the 
English  threw  all  caution  aside.  They  crowded  as 
many  men  as  possible  into  all  the  boats  they  had, 
armed  them  with  carronades,  swivels,  and  small- 
arms,  and  once  more  rowed  down  in  two  divisions ; 
but  Reid  was  waiting  for  them.  The  guns  were 
double-shotted,  and  he  moved  two  of  the  long  nines 
from  the  other  side  across  the  deck  and  cut  ports  for 
them  in  the  bulwarks.  A  tremendous  action  now 
began,  which  lasted  about  forty  minutes.  Never 
in  any  of  the  hostile  meetings  between  the  frigates 
or  the  fleets  of  the  United  States  and  England  has 
such  destruction  and  carnage  been  recorded,  in  pro 
portion  to  the  number  engaged,  as  is  shown  by  the 
loss  of  the  British  on  this  occasion.  The  fire  from 
the  brig  cut  away  whole  boats1  crews  and  almost 
destroyed  the  boats.  It  is  estimated  that  about  400 
men  were  divided  among  the  flotilla  of  the  attack 
ing  party.  They  fought  bravely,  but  there  is  merit 
in  being  well  prepared  for  defence.  More  than  half 


1 64  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF   THE   WAR   OF    l8l2 

of  the  British  were  either  killed  or  wounded,  "  Long 
Tom,"  the  25-pounder,  doing  terrible  execution. 

The  outmost  boats  showed  signs  of  giving  up  the 
contest.  Those  nearer  the  General  Armstrong  con 
tinued  to  fight  desperately,  but  none  had  approached 
near  enough  to  cut  their  way  through  the  boarding 
nettings  which  Reid  had  strung  along  the  sides. 

Seeing  that  there  was  an  intention  to  retire,  if 
possible,  on  the  part  of  the  British,  he  slackened  his 
fire.  Two  boats  were  drifting,  however,  beneath 
the  quarter  of  the  privateer.  They  were  loaded 
with  their  own  dead.  From  these  two  boats  only 
seventeen  men  reached  shore  alive,  and,  with  the 
exception  of  three,  all  of  these  were  wounded. 

The  following  day,  from  dawn  until  sunset,  the 
British  were  occupied  in  burying  their  dead,  among 
them  being  two  lieutenants,  one  midshipman  of  the 
Rota,  and  the  first  lieutenant  of  the  Plantagenet, 
who  died  of  his  wounds.  The  British  endeavored 
to  conceal  the  extent  of  the  loss,  but  even  they  ad 
mit  that  they  lost  in  killed  and  those  who  died  of 
their  wounds  afterwards  upward  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  officers  and  men. 

The  captain  of  the  Rota,  in  his  report,  stated  that 
he  lost  seventy  men  from  his  own  ship. 

It  was  claimed  by  the  English  that  the  first  expe 
dition  of  four  boats,  which  was  sent  out  early  in  the 
evening  of  the  26th,  was  merely  a  reconnoitring 
party,  and  had  no  hostile  intentions ;  but  it  seemed 
a  strange  thing  to  reconnoitre  at  night  an  enemy's 


THE  DEFENCE  OF  THE  "GENERAL  ARMSTRONG"    165 

vessel  in  a  friendly  port  with  one  hundred  and 
twenty  armed  men,  a  third  as  many  again  as  were 
on  board  the  American  brig.  There  is  no  question, 
viewing  the  proceedings  dispassionately,  that  they 
had  hoped  to  take  Reid  by  surprise. 

To  quote  from  Dabney's  report  once  more :  "  In 
vain  can  he  [the  British  commander]  expect  by  such 
subterfuge  to  shield  himself  from  the  indignation  of 
the  world  and  the  merited  resentment  of  his  own 
government  and  nation  for  thus  trampling  on  the 
sovereignty  of  their  most  ancient  and  faithful  ally, 
and  for  the  wanton  sacrifice  of  British  lives." 

The  comparison  of  the  loss  sustained  by  the  Amer 
ican  and  by  the  British  sides  is  almost  ridiculous — 
on  the  Armstrong  two  were  killed  and  seven  wound 
ed.  One  of  the  former  was  Alexander  O.  Williams, 
of  New  York,  the  second  lieutenant,  an  officer  of 
bravery  and  merit.  The  first  and  third  lieutenants, 
Messrs.  Worth  and  Johnson,  were  wounded,  and  thus, 
strange  to  say,  Captain  Reid  was  deprived  of  the 
services  of  all  of  his  junior  officers,  and  was  forced 
to  conduct  the  defence  alone. 

The  next  morning  one  of  the  British  ships  took 
advantage  of  the  wind  which  sprang  up,  and,  sailing 
in,  commenced  a  heavy  cannonade  upon  the  priva 
teer.  Captain  Reid  replied  for  a  few  moments,  but 
finding  of  course  that  the  result  of  final  capture  was 
inevitable,  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  other  ves 
sels  displayed  intentions  of  joining  in,  he  decided 
to  abandon  the  General  Armstrong.  He  hove  his 


1 66  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE   WAR   OF    l8l2 

guns  and  powder  overboard,  and,  manning  his  boats, 
brought  his  crew  ashore. 

As  soon  as  the  Armstrong  was  abandoned  the 
British  took  possession  of  her,  but,  finding  that  she 
had  been  partially  destroyed,  out  of  revenge  immedi 
ately  set  fire  to  her. 

Dabney,  in  his  letter  to  the  Secretary  of  State, 
remarks  as  follows  :  "  At  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening 
(soon  after  the  first  attack)  I  called  on  the  Govern 
or,  requesting  his  Excellency  to  protect  the  priva 
teer,  either  by  force  or  by  such  remonstrance  to 
the  commander  of  the  squadron  as  would  cause 
him  to  desist  from  any  further  attempt.  The 
Governor,  indignant  at  what  had  passed,  but  feeling 
himself  totally  unable,  with  the  slender  means  he 
possessed,  to  resist  such  a  force,  took  the  part  of 
remonstrating,  which  he  did  in  forcible  but  respect 
ful  terms.  His  letter  to  Captain  Lloyd  had  no  other 
effect  than  to  produce  a  menacing  reply,  insulting 
in  the  highest  degree.  Nothing  can  exceed  the  in 
dignation  of  the  public  authorities,  as  well  as  of  all 
ranks  and  descriptions  of  persons  here,  at  this  unpro 
voked  enormity.  Such  was  the  rage  of  the  British 
to  destroy  this  vessel  that  no  regard  was  paid  to 
the  safety  of  the  town.  Some  of  the  inhabitants 
were  wounded,  and  a  number  of  houses  were  much 
damaged.  The  strongest  representations  on  this  sub 
ject  are  prepared  by  the  Governor  for  his  court." 

Now  followed  one  of  the  strangest  incidents  that 
occurred  during  our  last  war  with  England.  The 


THE  DEFENCE   OF  THE   "  GENERAL  ARMSTRONG"    167 

senior  commander,  Captain  Lloyd,  threatened  to 
send  on  shore  an  armed  force  to  arrest  the  crew  of 
the  privateer,  claiming  that  Englishmen  were  among 
them ;  but  the  General  Armstrongs  people  fled  to 
the  mountains,  and  some  of  them  took  possession 
of  an  old  church,  preparing  to  defend  themselves. 
Lloyd  was  fearful  of  losing  more  men  if  he  tried 
to  force  this  point;  so,  resorting  to  stratagem,  he 
addressed  an  official  letter  to  the  Governor,  stating 
that  in  the  American  crew  were  two  men  deserters 
from  his  own  squadron,  and  who  were  thus  guilty  of 
high  -  treason.  Under  this  claim  a  force  was  sent 
into  the  country  by  the  Portuguese.  The  American 
seamen  were  arrested  and  brought  to  town,  but  the 
pretended  deserters  could  not  be  found.  All  the 
seamen,  however,  had  to  pass  under  the  humiliating 
examination  of  the  British  officers. 

It  was  a  fortunate  thing  that  the  erroneous  state 
ment  of  Captain  Lloyd  resulted  in  nothing  more 
serious  than  this. 

Reid  protested  against  the  actions  of  the  com 
manders  of  the  British  squadron,  and  also  against 
the  government  of  Portugal  for  not  protecting  him, 
and  it  was  on  this  protest  that  the  wearisome  waiting 
and  lawsuits  arose  which  became  known  as  the  "Arm 
strong  claims,"  and  which  were  decided  unfortunately 
against  the  Americans  by  Louis  Napoleon,  who  was 
chosen  arbiter.  The  "  Long  Tom  "  was  presented 
to  America  by  the  Portuguese  three  years  ago,  and 
was  exhibited  at  the  World's  Fair  in  Chicago. 


XII 

THE  LOSS  OF  THE  -ESSEX" 

[March  28th,  1814] 


LATE  in  the  fall  of  1813  a  little  American 
brig  made  her  way  up  the  coast  with  a  car 
go  that  had  once  been  consigned  to  some 
British  merchants  in  the  West  Indies. 

The  little  brig  had  also,  a  few  months  previously, 
flown  the  British  flag,  but  now  she  came  drifting 
into  the  harbor  of  New  York  under  a  prize-master 
and  his  crew,  for  she  had  been  taken  in  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico  by  one  of  the  privateers  that  had  outfitted 
from  New  York. 

She  brought  the  news  that  only  a  short  time  be 
fore  her  capture  three  smart  English  vessels  had 
stopped  at  the  port  in  which  she  had  lain  at  anchor. 
Two  of  these  three  vessels  were  sent  from  England 
on  a  special  mission ;  it  was  intended  that  they 
should  round  the  Horn  and  cruise  in  company  in 
the  Pacific  Ocean  in  search  of  the  frigate  Essex, 
that  had  spread  terror  from  China  to  South  Ameri 
ca,  and  had  chased  the  British  shipping  off  the  west 
ern  ocean. 

On  the  27th  of  October,  1812,  the  Essex,  under 
the  command  of  David  Porter,  a  fearless  and  per 
sistent  fighter,  had  set  sail  from  the  United  States 
on  a  cruise  to  the  southward,  his  orders  being  to 
join  Bainbridge,  his  superior  in  the  Constitution. 


172  NAVAL  ACTIONS    OF  THE   WAR  OF   l8l2 

The  coast  of  Brazil  was  then  the  cruising-ground  for 
a  large  force  of  English  ships  of  war. 

Porter,  hearing  that  Bainbridge,  after  his  action 
with  the  Java,  had  been  forced  to  return  to  the 
United  States,  determined  to  make  his  way  around 
the  continent  into  the  blue  waters  of  the  Pacific. 
He  had  made  one  important  capture  a  few  days  be 
fore  arriving  at  this  last  decision,  having  taken  the 
Nocton,  one  of  King  George's  packets.  On  board 
of  her  were  found  eleven  thousand  pounds  in  specie. 

After  suffering  severe  hardships  and  meeting  with 
many  adverse  winds  and  tides  in  rounding  the  Horn, 
Porter  at  last  made  his  way  along  the  harborless  west 
ern  coast,  and  arrived  at  Valparaiso  on  the  I4th  of 
March,  1813. 

The  Essex  s  crew  had  been  on  short  allowance  of 
water  and  small  rations,  but  not  a  murmur  of  dis 
satisfaction  had  been  raised  throughout  the  voyage. 

Having  rested  and  victualled  his  ship,  in  a  short 
time  Porter  hoisted  his  anchors,  spread  his  sails, 
and  sailed  out  to  sea  again. 

He  had  been  out  but  a  few  days  when  he  came 
across  a  Peruvian  corsair.  Ordering  her  to  heave  to, 
he  boarded  her,  and  found,  to  his  astonishment,  that 
she  had  on  board  twenty-four  American  sailors,  the 
crews  of  two  whaling  ships  which  she  had  taken  on 
the  coast  of  Chili.  When  asked  to  explain  his  con 
duct,  the  Peruvian  captain  answered  that,  in  view  of 
the  fact  that  his  country  was  an  ally  of  Great  Brit 
ain,  and  that  war  was  soon  to  be  declared  between 


THE   LOSS   OF  THE  "ESSEX"  173 

Spain  and  America,  he  had  taken  matters  into  his 
own  hand.  Porter,  much  incensed,  released  the 
American  sailors,  and  having  thrown  all  the  ammu 
nition  and  guns  of  the  rather  previous  pirate  over 
board,  he  was  let  go,  with  a  letter  to  the  Viceroy, 
complaining  of  his  conduct. 

Just  before  the  Essex  entered  the  harbor  of  Lima 
she  overhauled  one  of  the  corsair's  prizes,  replaced 
her  crew  on  board  of  her,  and  sent  them  on  their 
way  to  New  Bedford  rejoicing. 

For  a  year  the  Essex  cruised  up  and  down  the 
coast  of  South  America,  extending  her  voyages  far 
to  the  westward,  to  the  various  islands,  which  were 
visited  then  infrequently  by  traders  and  whaling  ves 
sels. 

During  this  cruise  she  frightened  British  com 
merce  entirely  from  these  waters,  and  the  strange 
spectacle  of  seeing  one  ship  in  control  of  a  vast  ter 
ritory  was  presented  to  the  eyes  of  the  world.  The 
British  Admiralty  were  vexed  and  astounded  be 
yond  measure.  Here  one  day  and  there  the  next, 
Porter  appeared  to  be  in  command  of  a  fleet  instead 
of  a  single  frigate. 

He  had  fitted  one  of  the  captured  British  whalers 
as  a  tender,  and  named  her  the  Essex  Junior,  plac 
ing  her  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant  Downes, 
giving  her  an  armament  of  ten  1 8-pound  carronades 
and  ten  short  sixes,  with  a  complement  of  sixty  men. 

At  last,  tiring  of  capturing  merchantmen  and  glut 
ted  with  the  spoils  of  easy  victories,  Porter  decided 


1/4  NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE  WAR  OF    l8l2 

to  look  for  larger  game;  for  the  news  had  been 
brought  to  him  that  the  vessels  which  the  little  brig 
had  reported  at  New  York  so  long  before  were  on 
their  way,  sailing  under  orders  to  find  him  at  all 
hazards. 

His  ship  required  repairing,  and  therefore  he 
sailed,  accompanied  by  his  convoy  of  prizes,  to  the 
island  of  Nookaheeva,  one  of  the  Washington 
group,  that  had  been  discovered  by  Captain  In- 
graham,  of  Boston.  Porter  took  possession  in  the 
name  of  the  United  States,  renaming  it  "  Madison 
Island." 

Here  he  cached  many  of  his  stores,  and  anchored 
three  of  the  prizes  well  inshore.  Erecting  a  small 
battery  in  a  good  position  to  command  the  small 
harbor,  Lieutenant  Gamble,  of  the  marines,  and  twen 
ty-one  men  were  left  with  orders  to  proceed  to  Val 
paraiso  after  a  certain  period.  Two  of  the  captures 
were  given  up  to  the  prisoners  and  sent  to  England. 
Three  had  been  sent  to  America,  and  some  were 
already  anchored  in  the  neutral  port  of  Valparaiso. 
It  was  December  i2th  when  Porter  set  sail  from 
Madison  Island  for  the  coast  of  Chili.  The  Essex 
Junior  followed  in  his  wake. 

He  arrived  safely  in  the  harbor,  and  had  been 
there  but  a  short  time,  overhauling  his  spars  and 
running-gear,  when  two  sail  came  in  from  the  west 
ward  ;  they  were  the  Phoebe,  under  the  command  of 
Captain  Hillyar,  and  the  Cherub,  sloop  of  war — both 
strongly  armed  and  manned  with  picked  crews — 


THE  LOSS  OF  THE  "ESSEX"  1/5 

the  very  ships  that  had  been  sent  out  to  look  for 
the  Essex. 

No  sooner  had  they  come  into  sight  of  the  long 
headland  than  they  found  the  frigate  they  were 
so  eager  to  meet,  within  a  short  distance  of  them. 
Then  it  was  plain  that  they  were  not  going  to  allow 
her  to  escape. 

The  British  vessels,  as  they  came  down  the  har 
bor  upon  their  first  entrance,  sailed  quite  close  to 
the  American  —  so  close,  indeed,  that,  in  endeav 
oring  to  come  about,  the  Phoebe  missed  stays 
and  fell  afoul  of  the  Essex,  presenting  herself  in 
position  to  be  raked  fore  and  aft;  but  Porter  re 
spected  the  neutrality  of  the  port  and  restrained 
his  fire. 

Had  he  known  what  was  going  to  happen  within 
the  next  few  weeks,  there  probably  would  have  been 
a  different  termination  to  the  Essex  s  glorious  cruise. 

The  divisions  were  all  at  quarters,  matches  burn 
ing,  and  it  was  with  difficulty  that  the  feverish  sea 
men  could  be  held  in  check. 

So  close  were  the  ships  that  the  men  standing  at 
the  guns  on  the  British  vessels  could  be  easily  seen, 
even  taunts  were  exchanged  and  grimaces  were  made 
over  the  bulwarks  and  through  the  open  ports. 

Sailing  across  to  the  other  side  of  the  harbor,  and 
tacking  again,  the  British  vessels  anchored  near  the 
entrance. 

Now  for  some  time  ensued  a  remarkable  condition 
of  affairs.  The  commanders  met  on  shore  and  ex- 


176  NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE  WAR  OF    1 8 12 

changed  gravely  the  courtesies  which  navy  men 
extended  to  one  another  in  those  days,  belligerents 
though  they  were.  The  shore  parties  of  both  forces 
meeting  in  town,  under  strict  orders,  for  a  wonder, 
managed  to  keep  from  fighting,  but  they  were  itch 
ing  to  be  at  it. 

Porter  had  long  flown  a  flag  of  his  own  with  the 
motto,  "  Free  Trade  and  Sailors'  Rights." 

But,  as  if  not  to  be  outdone,  the  British  command 
er  threw  to  the  air  his  strips  of  bunting  with  a 
motto  of  his  own :  "  God  and  Country.  British  Sail 
ors'  Best  Rights.  Traitors  Offend  Both."  (It  was 
a  fallacy  of  the  British  that  our  ships  were  manned 
by  deserters  from  the  royal  service.) 

The  sail-maker  and  his  assistant  were  soon  at 
work  on  board  the  American,  and  from  the  mizzen- 
mast  of  the  Essex  appeared  the  next  morning : 

"  God,  Our  Country,  and  Liberty.  Tyrants  Offend 
Them." 

Many  times  had  Porter  tried  to  get  a  challenge 
from  Captain  Hillyar  (as  the  Essex  was  the  weaker 
vessel,  he  was  not  in  a  position  to  offer  the  challenge 
himself),  and  he  let  it  be  well  understood  that  he 
would  meet  the  Phoebe,  in  open  combat,  and  would 
agree  that  the  Essex  Junior  should  take  no  hand, 
on  the  condition  that  the  Cherub  also  should  remain 
inactive. 

The  prudence  of  Captain  Hillyar  cannot  but  be 
commended.  He  was  under  strict  orders  not  to  run 
any  risks ;  he  knew  his  enemy  was  at  his  mercy ; 


THE  LOSS  OF  THE   "ESSEX"  I?7 

but  the  Essex  had  been  put  down,  as  most  of  our 
cruisers  were  in  those  days,  as  "  a  dangerous  non 
descript,"  to  quote  from  the  British  press  of  the  time. 
In  fact,  many  British  frigates  in  the  Atlantic  waters, 
where  the  Constitution  had  gained  her  laurels,  kept 
near  to  the  great  towering  battle-ships — guard-ships, 
they  were  called. 

It  was  all  arranged  that  if  the  Essex  should  show 
a  tendency  to  make  her  way  to  sea,  the  Phoebe  and 
Cherub  would  attack  her  simultaneously.  That  was 
their  idea  in  sailing  in  each  other's  company. 

Fearing  that  Porter  might  take  advantage  of  a 
favorable  wind  to  slip  past  them  if  they  remained  at 
anchor,  Captain  Hillyar  left  the  harbor,  and  with  the 
Phoebe  proceeded  to  sea,  where  both  ships  patrolled 
up  and  down  like  sentries  at  a  prison  gate. 

The  united  force  of  the  English  vessels  amounted 
to  eighty-one  guns  and  five  hundred  men,  in  addi 
tion  to  which  they  had  taken  on  board  for  the  nonce 
the  crew  of  an  English  letter-of-marque  that  was 
then  lying  in  port. 

The  force  of  the  Essex  consisted  of  46  guns,  all 
of  which,  except  six  long  twelves,  were  32-pound 
carronades,  and  useless  except  in  close  fighting. 
Her  crew,  much  reduced  by  the  manning  of  her 
many  prizes,  consisted  of  but  two  hundred  and  fifty 
men.  The  armament  of  the  Essex  Junior  we  have 
named  before. 

It  was  evident  that  as  long  as  the  British  vessels 
remained  where  they  were,  the  Essex  was  as  good  as 


1/8  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE   WAR  OF    1 8 12 

captured.  Something  must  be  done,  and  with  such 
a  commander  as  Porter  the  boldest  plan  was  the 
most  attractive. 

Many  incidents  had  occurred  to  break  the  monot 
ony  of  the  blockade.  Many  times  had  he  left  his 
anchorage,  spread  his  sails,  and  made  a  feint  of  leav 
ing  the  harbor,  and  in  all  these  trials  he  had  found 
that  his  ship  could  give  the  others  points  and  beat 
them,  so  far  as  sailing  went. 

On  one  occasion  the  British  ships  stood  boldly  in 
before  the  wind  and  bore  down  upon  the  Essex,  part 
of  whose  crew  had  been  given  shore  leave;  but  be 
fore  the  tars  had  gone  far  into  the  town  they  saw 
the  approaching  sails,  and  some  crowded  into  the 
little  native  boats  that  were  hauled  up  along  the 
shore;  many  even  started  to  swim  back  to  their  vessel. 

The  drum  rolled  and  flags  went  up  to  the  Essex's 
mast-heads;  but  Hillyar  at  that  moment  respected 
the  international  law,  hauled  his  wind,  and  went 
back  to  his  blockading. 

After  a  consultation  with  Lieutenant  Downs,  it 
was  decided  by  Porter  that  the  period  of  inaction 
must  be  broken.  A  rendezvous  was  appointed,  and 
it  was  agreed  that  the  Essex  should  allow  the  British 
ships  to  chase  her  offshore,  and  give  the  Essex 
Junior  a  chance  to  make  her  escape. 

The  very  next  day  after  arriving  at  this  decision 
the  wind  came  on  to  blow  fresh  from  the  southward, 
and  then  followed  a  chapter  of  accidents  as  dis 
astrous  as  ever  happened  to  any  one  unlucky  vessel. 


THE   LOSS   OF   THE   "ESSEX"  179 

Even  in  yacht-racing  the  best  boat  does  not  al 
ways  win ;  no  allowances  are  made  for  accidents, 
hard  luck  is  an  element  that  cannot  be  forestalled, 
and  thus  it  will  always  be  in  naval  warfare.  It  must 
be  confessed  that  the  fates  were  against  America 
on  this  day,  the  28th  of  March. 

The  wind,  which  had  started  with  a  fresh  breeze, 
grew  stronger  and  stronger,  and,  the  anchorage 
being  hard  ground,  the  Essex  began  to  drag  her 
anchors  seaward.  Suddenly  her  larboard  cable 
parted,  and  she  went,  stern  foremost,  at  a  good  rate 
of  speed  towards  the  harbor  entrance.  The  advent 
ure  could  be  put  off  no  longer.  Trusting  in  the 
superior  sailing  of  the  Essex  to  be  able  to  work  to 
windward,  Porter  hoisted  his  topgallant-sails,  braced 
around  his  yards,  and  came  close  upon  the  wind. 

The  British  vessels,  off  to  leeward,  crowded  on  all 
sail.  In  the  white-caps  there  was  very  little  sea,  for 
the  fitful  wind  was  new  and  off  the  land. 

It  looked  as  if  the  Essex  were  going  to  escape ;  but 
just  as  she  rounded  the  point,  the  muzzles  of  her 
guns  almost  in  the  water,  another  link  in  the  chain 
of  unfortunate  circumstances  was  forged;  there  was 
a  crash,  and  the  main-topmast  went  by  the  board, 
broken  short  above  the  top.  The  men  who  were 
then  lying  out  upon  the  yards  went  down  with  the 
great  spar  over  the  side,  and  all  were  drowned. 
The  Essex  brought  up  as  if  she  had  struck  a  shoal. 

The  English  ships  were  now  coming  fast.  Porter 
had  no  alternative  but  to  endeavor  to  get  back  to 


ISO  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE  WAR  OF    l8l2 

the  protection  of  the  port;  but  he  could  not  reach 
his  former  anchorage,  hampered  as  he  was  by  the 
wreckage  at  his  side.  Therefore  he  made  secure  all 
sail  upon  his  foremast  and  ran  for  shore,  anchoring 
there  about  a  pistol-shot  distance  from  the  beach, 
and  three-quarters  of  a  mile  to  leeward  of  the  bat 
tery  on  the  east  side  of  the  harbor.  Here  he  worked 
industriously  to  clear  his  decks  and  cut  away  the 
tangled  wreckage,  but  in  the  midst  of  this  the  crew 
of  the  Essex  saw  that  they  were  not  to  be  unmo 
lested. 

Hillyar  had  determined  to  take  advantage  of  the 
moment  the  Phoebe  and  Cherub  came  down  be 
fore  the  breeze,  which  was  now  dying  away,  and, 
breaking  all  precedent  of  neutrality,  they  opened  up 
their  broadsides  upon  their  almost  helpless  antago 
nist.  It  was  nearly  four  o'clock  when  the  first  gun 
was  fired. 

Porter,  seeing  that  the  action  was  going  to  begin, 
endeavored  to  get  a  spring  upon  his  cable,  and  bring 
a  broadside  to  bear  upon  the  British  ships.  He 
hoisted  every  flag  he  had,  at  every  point  where  he 
could  reeve  a  halyard,  awaiting  quietly  the  nearer 
onslaught,  and  praying  for  close  quarters. 

The  Phoebe  placed  herself  under  the  stern,  and  the 
Cherub  on  his  starboard  bow ;  but  so  hot  was  the 
Essex  s  answer  to  the  latter  that  she  bore  up  and 
ran  under  his  stern  also;  and  now  followed  such 
slaughter  as  has  hardly  been  equalled  in  naval  war 
fare.  From  their  positions  they  raked  the  hull  of 


THE   LOSS   OF  THE   "ESSEX"  l8l 

the  Essex  through  and  through,  cutting  long  gashes 
in  her  sides,  and  aiming  with  precision,  as  if  they 
were  firing  for  practice  at  a  helpless  hull.  Against 
all  this  destructive  cannonade  Porter  could  only 
bring  to  bear  three  long  i2-pounders,  which  he  had 
run  out  of  the  stern  ports  and  the  cabin-windows, 
and  well  were  they  manned  and  served. 

Two  or  three  times  did  he  manage  to  get  a  spring 
upon  his  cable,  and  had  half  turned  his  broadside 
towards  the  enemy,  but  every  time  was  the  hawser 
shot  away,  and  the  poor  ship  drifted  back  to  her  al 
most  defenceless  position.  Some  of  the  round  shot 
and  whole  charges  of  grape  from  the  Phoebe  s  guns 
swept  the  Essex  s  decks  from  stern-post  to  the  heel 
of  her  bowsprit.  Whole  crews  were  slaughtered  as 
they  worked  the  few  guns  able  to  be  brought  to  bear ; 
but  as  fast  as  the  men  were  shot  or  blown  away  their 
places  were  filled  by  others.  At  one  gun  fifteen  men 
were  killed,  and  as  many  wounded  and  carried  be 
low. 

At  this  point  in  the  combat  Hillyar  signalled  the 
Cherub,  and  they  both  drew  off  to  repair  their  dam 
ages,  that  were  far  from  slight. 

Again  in  a  few  minutes  they  came  down  before 
the  wind,  and  took  a  new  position  athwart  the  Es 
sex  s  bows.  To  this  fire  Porter  could  not  bring  a 
single  gun  to  answer.  Again  the  decks  of  the  Es 
sex  were  red  with  blood ;  there  had  been  no  time  to 
move  the  wounded,  and  the  dead  lay  huddled  about 
in  all  directions.  Now  the  shots  even  entered  the 


1 82  NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE  WAR  OF   1 8 12 

cockpit,  and  the  men  were  killed  as  they  lay  on  the 
operating-tables  under  the  doctor's  knife.  To  add 
to  the  horror,  the  Essex  had  caught  on  fire  forward 
and  aft. 

Still  undismayed,  Porter  determined  to  close  with 
the  enemy.  The  only  sail  that  could  be  hoisted, 
owing  to  the  mangled  condition  of  the  rigging,  was 
the  flying-jib.  He  raised  this,  cut  his  cable,  and  ran 
down  on  both  ships,  with  the  intention  of  boarding 
the  Phoebe  if  possible. 

At  the  prospect  of  being  able  to  fight  back,  his 
men  revived  again,  and  a  cheer  ran  along  the  shat 
tered  decks. 

As  the  running-gear  of  the  enemy  was  still  intact, 
they  easily  kept  out  of  the  Essex  s  way,  the  Phoebe 
edged  off,  and,  choosing  her  distance,  kept  up  her 
tremendous  firing.  Putting  his  helm  hard  down, 
Captain  Porter,  finding  the  wind  had  shifted  slight 
ly,  determined  to  run  his  ship  on  shore,  land  the 
crew,  and  blow  her  up.  He  approached  once  more 
within  musket-shot  of  the  sandy  beach,  when,  in  an 
instant,  the  wind  shifted  from  the  land,  as  if  the 
British  had  bribed  the  elements,  and  once  more  the 
Essex  was  driving  down  upon  the  Phoebe.  But  her 
tiller-ropes  were  shot  away,  and  the  poor  hulk  was 
totally  unmanageable. 

At  this  moment  one  of  the  strangest  incidents  of 
the  whole  affair  occurred. 

Lieutenant  Downes  of  the  Essex  Junior,  which 
still  lay  at  her  old  anchorage  under  the  guns  at  the 


THE   LOSS  OF  THE   "ESSEX"  183 

battery,  loaded  one  of  his  boats  and  rowed  through 
the  fierce  fusillade  down  to  his  superior  officer.  He 
came  on  board  through  a  port,  but  his  services 
could  be  of  no  avail.  After  a  consultation,  Porter 
ordered  him  to  return  to  his  own  ship,  and  be  pre 
pared  for  defending  her  or  destroying  her  in  case  of 
an  attack.  So  Downes  loaded  his  boat  with  wound 
ed,  and,  leaving  some  of  his  crew  on  board  the  Essex 
to  make  room  for  them,  he  started  to  make  his  way 
back  to  his  own  little  vessel.  The  enemy  did  not 
respect  his  cargo  or  his  gallant  action,  but  opened  a 
hot  fire  upon  him  as  he  returned.  Luckily,  how 
ever,  the  small  cutter  escaped  swamping,  and  the 
men  at  the  long  oars  jumped  her  through  the  water 
at  a  rapid  rate,  despite  the  plashing  of  the  bullets  all 
around  them. 

Horrible  now  was  the  position  of  the  American 
frigate.  Her  commander,  in  his  desperation,  per 
sisted  in  the  almost  hopeless  conflict,  and  succeed 
ed,  by  bending  a  hawser  to  the  sheet-anchor,  in 
bringing  his  ship's  head  around ;  the  few  remain 
ing  guns  of  his  broadside  opened  once  more,  and, 
strange  to  say,  the  Phoebe,  which  received  this  last 
and  almost  expiring  effort,  was  beaten  off ;  but  the 
hawser  parted,  and  with  it  failed  the  last  hope  of 
the  Essex. 

The  flames  that  had  started  on  her  gun-deck  and 
in  her  hold  were  bursting  up  the  hatchways ;  a 
bundle  of  cartridges  exploded,  killing  two  men ;  and 
word  was  given  out  that  the  fire  was  near  the  maga- 


1 84  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE  WAR  OF    l8l2 

zine !  Every  boat  was  cut  to  pieces ;  it  was  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile  from  shore. 

Thinking  that  the  ship  might  blow  up  at  any 
moment,  Porter  gave  orders  to  those  who  could 
swim  to  jump  overboard  and  make  for  land. 

The  few  remaining  on  board  with  the  command 
er  extinguished  the  fire.  Porter  immediately  sum 
moned  a  consultation  of  his  officers,  and  was  sur 
prised  to  find  that  only  one  responded — Acting 
Lieutenant  Stephen  Decatur  Me  Knight;  the  others 
were  killed,  or  below,  disabled  by  their  wounds. 

The  late  Admiral  Farragut,  who  was  a  midship 
man  on  board  the  Essex,  had  displayed  wonderful 
courage  throughout  the  engagement.  He  was  one 
of  the  few  midshipmen  who  were  able  to  keep  the 
deck. 

Nothing  could  be  done.  The  enemy  in  the 
smooth  water  had  chosen  their  distance,  and  were 
firing  by  divisions  in  a  deliberate,  careful  way,  with 
coolness  and  accuracy.  Almost  every  shot  struck, 
and  at  twenty  minutes  past  six  Captain  Porter,  al 
most  weeping  from  the  excess  of  his  grief,  gave  or 
ders  to  strike  the  colors.  It  is  probable  that  the 
enemy  did  not  perceive  his  action ;  for  ten  minutes 
longer  the  terrible  destruction  continued ;  and  once 
more,  thinking  that  Hillyar  was  going  to  show  no 
quarter,  the  brave  American  was  about  to  hoist  his 
flag  again  and  fight  until  he  sank,  when  the  fire  of 
the  enemy  suddenly  ceased. 

Thus  ended  one  of  the  most  bloody  and  obsti- 


THE   LOSS   OF   THE   "  ESSEX  "  185 

nately  contested  actions  in  naval  record.  Out  of  the 
255  men  composing  her  crew,  the  Essex  \&&  but  151, 
including  some  of  the  wounded,  able  to  stand  on  her 
decks  ;  58  were  killed  outright,  50  wounded,  and  31 
had  been  drowned. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  city  during  the  action  had 
crowded  to  the  shore.  Their  sympathies  had  been 
all  with  the  American.  When  they  had  seen  the 
various  times  when  the  Essex  appeared  to  gain  a 
slight  advantage  their  cheers  could  be  heard  com 
ing  across  the  water.  So  close  had  the  action  been 
fought  that  many  of  the  round  shot  from  the  Phoebe  s 
guns  had  struck  the  land,  and  some  of  the  specta 
tors  had  been  wounded. 

When  the  first  British  officer  boarded  the  captured 
vessel,  so  shocking  was  the  sight  that  met  his  eyes 
that,  used  to  scenes  of  carnage  though  he  was,  he 
staggered  back  and  almost  fainted,  struck  with  the 
sickening  horror. 

The  loss  on  the  Phoebe  and  Cherub  has  never  been 
ascertained,  but  it  must  have  been  severe.  The 
former  had  received  eighteen  1 2-pound  shot  below 
her  water-line;  her  first  lieutenant  was  killed,  and 
her  spars  were  badly  wounded.  It  was  with  some 
difficulty  that  she  had  been  kept  afloat,  but  it  was 
with  more  difficulty  still  that  the  Essex  could  be 
prevented  from  going  to  the  bottom. 

Captain  Porter  and  his  crew  were  paroled,  and 
permitted  to  return  to  the  United  States  in  the  Es 
sex  Junior,  her  armament  having  previously  been 


1 86  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE  WAR   OF    l8l2 

taken  out.  When  off  New  York  Harbor  they  were 
overhauled  by  a  razee  frigate,  the  Saturn,  of  His 
Majesty's  service,  and  the  authority  of  the  com 
mander  of  the  Phoebe  to  grant  a  passport  to  his 
prisoners  was  questioned. 

All  night  the  Saturn  held  the  unarmed  Essex 
Junior  under  her  lee ;  but  the  next  morning,  taking 
advantage  of  a  slight  gray  fog,  Porter  put  off  in  his 
boat  and  rowed  thirty  miles  to  the  shore,  landing 
safely  on  Long  Island. 

To  quote  from  the  contemporaries  again : 

"  His  reception  in  the  United  States  has  been  such 
as  great  service  and  distinguished  valor  deserve. 
The  various  interesting  and  romantic  rumors  that 
had  reached  this  country  concerning  him  during  his 
cruise  in  the  Pacific  had  excited  the  curiosity  of  the 
public  to  see  this  modern  Sindbad ;  and,  arriving  in 
New  York,  his  carriage  was  surrounded  by  the  popu 
lace,  who  took  out  the  horses  and  dragged  him,  with 
shouts  and  acclamations,  to  his  lodgings." 

The  American  commander's  own  account  of  the 
affair,  which  appears  in  a  little  volume  entitled  Por 
ters  Narrative,  shows  well  the  spirit  of  this  doughty 
old  seaman,  who,  to  use  the  expression  applied  to 
him,  "  had  rather  have  fought  than  ate." 

So  virulent,  however,  were  his  tirades  against  the 
conduct  of  Captain  Hillyar  that  it  is  only  just  to 
take  into  consideration  that  the  latter  commander, 
by  refusing  to  take  advantage  of  the  many  circum 
stances,  would  have  missed  entirely  the  object  of 


THE   LOSS   OF   THE   "ESSEX"  1 87 

his  sailing  from  England ;  and  his  conduct  has  found 
many  defenders  among  the  writers  of  history  on  the 
other  side  of  the  water. 

The  honor  rolls  of  the  United  States  navy  show 
the  records  of  many  a  family  history,  and  the  name 
Porter  has  been  associated  with  the  service  from  the 
Revolution  to  the  present  day.  The  late  Admiral 
David  D.  Porter  was  the  younger  son  of  the  David 
Porter  of  Essex  fame,  and  he  had  been  named  after 
his  father,  who  was  a  doughty  old  sea-captain  of  the 
Revolution. 

The  second  David  Porter  was  born  at  Boston  on 
the  ist  of  February,  1780.  Thus  he  was  but  thirty- 
two  years  of  age  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war  with 
Great  Britain,  and  his  school  of  training  had  been 
the  same  as  that  of  all  the  younger  officers  who 
now  found  themselves  for  the  first  time  in  com 
mand.  He  was  with  Bainbridge  in  the  Philadelphia 
when  that  frigate  was  captured  by  the  Tripolitans 
in  1803,  and  he  suffered  imprisonment  with  the  rest 
of  the  officers  during  the  time  that  Preble  was  en 
deavoring  to  liberate  them.  He  had  the  honor  of 
making  the  first  capture  of  a  regular  navy  vessel  of 
the  war,  when,  in  July,  the  Essex  compelled  the  Alert, 
of  20  guns,  to  lower  her  flag. 


XIII 

THE   "PEACOCK"  AND  THE   "EPERVIER" 
[April  2gth,  1814] 


MEDAL    PRESENTED   BY  CONGRESS    TO 
CAPTAIN    LEWIS    WARRINGTON 


CAPTAIN    L.   WARRINGTON,  of   Vir 
ginia,  has  been  given  the  command  of  the 
Peacock,  sloop  of  war  of  18  guns.     He  ex 
pects  soon  to  set  sail  and  cruise  to  the  southward 
in  search  of  the  enemy." 

Such  is  the  personal  note  appearing  in  that  enter 
prising  newspaper  The  Register,  published  in  March, 
1814. 

The  Captain  Warrington  referred  to  was  but 
little  known  to  the  country  at  large,  but  those  in  a 
position  of  influence  in  the  Navy  Department  must 
have  discerned  his  worth  and  well  estimated  his 
valor,  for  they  had  given  him  command  of  the  gal 
lant  little  Peacock,  of  18  guns  (really  mounting  22) 
and  a  crew  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  men. 

In  the  middle  of  March  he  sailed  from  New  York 
Harbor,  and  cruised,  without  events  of  much  im 
portance,  along  the  Florida  shore  as  far  as  Cape 
Canaveral.  On  the  29th  of  April,  in  latitude  27° 
47'  north  and  80°  9'  west  longitude,  the  lookout 
spied  three  sails  off  to  the  windward.  From  the 
cut  of  the  third,  a  brig,  it  was  easy  to  mark  her  as 
a  man-of-war. 

Upon  the  appearance  of  the  Peacock  the  merchant 
men  hauled  their  wind,  and  the  brig  bore  away  for 


1 92      NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE  WAR  OF  1 8 12 

the  American.  She  gallantly  commenced  the  action, 
and  at  no  time  showed  a  disposition  to  take  advan 
tage  of  being  to  windward  and  escaping  with  her 
consorts. 

Neither  vessel  hailed,  and  there  was  little  manoeu 
vring.  They  began  to  fire  at  each  other  as  soon  as 
they  were  within  range.  In  the  beginning  of  the 
action  the  Peacock  received  two  3 2 -pound  shot  in 
her  fore-yard,  and  her  head-sails  were  rendered  al 
most  useless.  She  wras  compelled  to  run  at  large ; 
and  again  was  proved,  what  no  authority  on  the 
other  side  could  ever  deny,  the  infinitely  superior 
gunnery  that  existed  under  the  system  in  vogue  in 
the  American  navy. 

For  a  long  time  after  the  war  there  was  much 
controversy  concerning  the  weights  of  armament  of 
the  vessels  engaged  in  single  actions  between  this 
country  and  Great  Britain.  In  this  affair  it  is  only 
just  to  say  that  the  Peacock  carried  thirty-two  more 
in  her  crew ;  the  number  of  guns  was  exactly  the 
same,  but  the  Peacock's  broadside  was  about  one  and 
one-quarter  pounds  heavier  to  the  gun. 

The  action  was  continued  for  some  time  at  close 
quarters,  and  once  Captain  Warrington  drew  off  and 
hailed  to  ascertain  whether  his  antagonist  had  struck, 
as  her  flag  had  been  shot  away. 

On  renewing  the  engagement  the  uselessness  of 
continuing  to  fight  was  soon  made  apparent  to  the 
commander  of  the  Epervier.  She  had  received  no 
less  than  forty-five  shot  in  her  hull,  and  had  twenty- 


THE   "PEACOCK"  AND   THE   "  EPERVIER  "  193 

two  men  killed  and  wounded  ;  the  main-topmast  was 
over  her  side.  In  fact,  all  her  standing  rigging  and 
spars  were  injured,  and  five  feet  of  water  was  already 
in  her  hold. 

In  hauling  off  to  count  up  his  injuries,  Warring- 
ton  discovered,  to  his  delight,  that  not  one  round 
shot  had  reached  his  hull,  that  not  one  of  his  crew 
was  killed,  and  only  two  were  wounded.  The  effect 
of  this  news  and  the  easy  victory  stimulated  the 
Americans  to  tremendous  exertion  in  trying  to  save 
the  prize. 

Upon  boarding  her  it  was  discovered  that  she 
carried  $118,000  in  specie,  and  must  have  been  a 
fine  vessel  when  she  commenced  the  action.  With 
great  difficulty  the  Americans  succeeded  in  stopping 
some  of  the  shot -holes  beneath  water,  and  turned 
all  attention  to  caring  for  the  prisoners  and  wound 
ed,  reeving  new  rigging  and  staying  the  tottering 
mainmast. 

The  prize  had  struck  at  1 1  A.M.  At  sunset  she 
was  in  a  comparatively  safe  position,  and  sail  could 
be  made.  To  his  sorrow,  the  American  commander 
had  found  upon  boarding  the  Epervier  that  three 
impressed  American  seamen  by  the  names  of  John 
son,  Peters,  and  Roberts  had  been  killed.  Often 
and  often  had  it  occurred  that  the  impressed  sailors 
for  whom  the  United  States  had  gone  to  war  had 
been  compelled  to  take  up  arms  and  serve  the  guns 
directed  against  the  vessels  of  their  own  country. 
The  anger  at  the  news  of  these  outrages  must  have 
13 


194  NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE  WAR  OF   l8l2 

done  much  to  animate  the  seamen  who  sought  to 
revenge  them. 

A  contemporary  speaks  of  the  Epervier  in  this 
fashion :  "  She  is  one  of  the  finest  vessels  of  her 
class  belonging  to  the  enemy,  built  in  1812.  She 
appears  to  have  been  one  of  their  '  bragging  vessels,' 
for  it  is  said  that  when  she  left  London  bets  were 
made  that  she  would  take  an  American  sloop  of 
war  or  small  frigate."  The  odds  must  have  been 
laid  against  events  of  that  character  thereafter. 

Warrington  determined  to  save  the  prize  if  pos 
sible,  and  placed  her  in  command  of  Lieutenant  J. 
B.  Nicholson,  with  orders  to  proceed  at  once  to 
Savannah.  Knowing,  however,  that  British  vessels 
thronged  the  waters  along  the  coast,  Warrington 
determined  to  convoy  his  prize  to  port.  He  had 
hardly  come  within  sight  of  land  when  two  large 
frigates  were  discovered  to  the  northward  and  lee 
ward. 

The  Peacock  spoke  the  Epervier,  and,  after  some 
conversation,  a  plan  was  agreed  on.  They  were 
abreast  of  Amelia  Island,  and  the  frigates  were  fast 
approaching  and  crowding  on  all  sail. 

Lieutenant  Nicholson  shouted  to  Captain  War 
rington  to  take  off  the  crew  from  the  Epervier  and 
leave  him  and  his  sixteen  men  to  handle  her.  War 
rington  complied,  and  endeavored  to  draw  off  the 
on-comers,  it  being  his  intention  to  try  to  slip  into 
St.  Mary's.  Only  one  frigate  fell  to  the  ruse,  and 
came  about  upon  the  Peacock's  trail.  The  Epervier, 


THE  "PEACOCK"  AND  THE  "EPERVIER"        195 

which  drew  little  water,  kept  well  inshore,  and  un 
der  a  light  breeze  made  good  headway.  The  wind, 
however,  soon  died  to  almost  a  calm,  and  the  big 
vessel  outside  in  the  deeper  water  lowered  her  boats 
and  manned  them  all,  intending  to  cut  out  and  re 
take  the  prize  inshore.  Fitful  gusts  of  wind  swept 
the  captured  vessel  along,  but  during  every  pause 
the  steady  rowing  of  the  British  sailors  brought  the 
armed  boats  nearer.  Suddenly  they  stopped  all  ex 
ertion,  for  Nicholson  was  shouting  orders  through 
his  speaking-trumpet  as  if  in  command  of  one  hun 
dred  men,  instead  of  scarcely  enough  to  haul  his 
sheets  and  tacks.  The  ports  dropped  with  a  clatter 
and  the  boatswain's  whistle  rang  out  shrilly.  The 
Englishmen  were  astounded ;  fearing  that  they  had 
been  drawn  into  a  trap,  turning  tail,  they  scuttled 
out  of  range  as  quickly  as  possible  and  returned  to 
the  frigate.  A  breeze  sprang  up  at  this  moment, 
and  Nicholson  was  able  to  keep  the  Epervier  on 
her  course,  and  on  the  ist  of  May  the  brig  arrived 
safely  in  Savannah.  Three  days  later  the  Peacock 
came  in  also. 

Warrington's  delight  on  seeing  that  his  prize  was 
safe  was  great,  and  he  reported  the  Epervier  in  the 
following  words:  u  She  is  one  of  their  finest  sloops 
of  war,  and  is  well  calculated  for  our  service.  She 
sails  extremely  fast,  and  will  require  but  little  to 
send  her  to  sea,  as  her  armament  and  stores  are 
complete." 

In  his  letter  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  when 


196  NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE  WAR  OF   l8l2 

at  sea,  on  the  night  of  the  action,  he  speaks  of  his 
crew  in  this  manly  fashion :  "  Every  officer,  seaman, 
and  marine  did  his  duty,  which  is  the  highest  com 
pliment  I  can  pay  them." 

The  Peacock  did  not  remain  long  inactive,  but 
sailed  for  the  Bay  of  Biscay  and  cruised  along  the 
coast  of  Portugal  and  among  the  islan'ds.  Time 
and  again  she  was  chased  by  English  vessels,  and 
was  kept  dodging  from  one  position  to  another  to 
avoid  the  many  squadrons.  It  was  not  her  luck  to 
come  across  another  vessel  of  war  of  anything  like 
her  size,  but  she  captured  handily  fourteen  sail  of 
merchantmen. 

The  "commerce-destroyers"  of  those  days  were 
not  spoken  of  in  that  term,  but  the  trade  of  Great 
Britain  was  crippled  severely  by  the  swift -sailing 
privateers  and  our  handy  little  sloops  of  war. 


XIV 

THE  CRUISE   OF  THE    "WASP" 
[1814] 


MEDAL    PRESENTED    BY    CONT.RESS    TO 
CAPTAIN    JOHNSTON    Bl.AKEI.EY 


IN  a  very  amusing  cartoon,  printed  in  the  lat 
ter  part  of  the  year  1814  in  an  American  pa 
per,  our  cousin  Johnnie  Bull  was  represented 
flourishing  a  cutlass  above  his  head  and  vainly  en 
deavoring  to  defend  himself  from  the  attack  of  a 
nondescript -looking  animal  that  had  succeeded  in 
running  him  through  the  body  with  its  sting. 

As  was  the  custom  in  drawing  cartoons  at  that 
time,  the  legend  issued  from  the  lips  in  a  cloud,  and 
Johnnie  Bull  appeared  to  be  smoking  out  the  words, 
"  Save  me,  oh,  save  me  from  this  vicious  insect !" 

The  insect  was  supposed  to  be  the  United  States 
sloop  of  war  Wasp,  of  18  guns,  then  on  a  most 
remarkable  cruise  in  European  waters.  Under  the 
command  of  Captain  Johnston  Blakeley  her  career 
had  been  smiled  upon  by  good  fortune. 

In  a  cruise  of  under  four  months  she  had  captured 
thirteen  British  merchantmen,  and  had  engaged  and 
caused  to  surrender  two  of  the  finest  brigs  in  the 
service  of  Great  Britain. 

The  value  of  her  prizes  was  reckoned  at  not  less 
than  two  hundred  thousand  pounds  sterling. 

On  the  ist  of  May,  1814,  the  little  sloop  had  set 
sail  from  Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire.  She  was 
manned  by  a  crew  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-three 


200  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE   WAR  OF    1 8 12 

men,  the  majority  of  them  being  green  hands,  and 
many  of  them  mere  boys,  for  they  averaged  but 
twenty-three  years  in  age. 

Meeting  with  some  severe  weather  when  only  a 
few  -days  out,  it  is  on  record  that  one-third  of  her 
crew  were  sea-sick  for  a  week.  This  fact,  however, 
did  not  prevent  them  from  becoming  great  fighters 
afterwards. 

On  the  28th  of  June,  in  latitude  48°  36',  longitude 
11°  15',  she  fell  in  with  the  Reindeer,  sloop  of  war 
in  His  Majesty's  service,  mounting  19  guns — six 
teen  24-pound  carronades,  two  long  Q-pounders,  and 
a  shifting  12-pounder.  She  had  on  board  a  com 
plement  of  one  hundred  and  eighteen  men. 

In  an  action  that  lasted  but  nineteen  minutes 
from  the  first  broadside,  the  Reindeer  was  destroyed, 
her  ports  having  been  blown  into  one  gaping  streak 
of  splintered  wood.  Not  a  boat  was  left,  and  her 
foremast  fell  the  day  after  the  action. 

As  it  was  found  impossible  to  take  her  into  port, 
the  prisoners  were  removed  from  the  Reindeer  and 
she  was  set  on  fire.  That  she  had  been  gallantly 
defended  is  evident  from  the  reports  of  the  action. 
William  Manners,  her  commander,  a  brave,  fearless 
man,  was  killed,  and  twenty-three  officers  and  sea 
men  with  him.  The  first  lieutenant  and  the  master 
were  severely  wounded,  and  forty  seamen  were  on 
the  list  also. 

The  Wasp  lost  five  killed  and  twenty  -  one 
wounded.  She  was  but  slightly  hurt,  and  within 


THE   CRUISE   OF   THE   "WASP  2OI 

a  few  hours  of  the  action  could  have  commenced 
another. 

Wishing  to  get  rid  of  his  prisoners  as  soon  as 
possible,  Captain  Blakeley  overhauled  a  Portuguese 
brig,  placed  them  on  board  of  her,  and  sent  them  to 
England. 

No  doubt  the  Wasp  was  one  of  the  finest  sailing 
craft  of  her  day.  Her  lines  are  spoken  of  as  being 
remarkably  fine ;  and  one  of  her  officers  writes,  in  a 
private  letter,  as  follows : 

"  The  Wasp  is  a  beautiful  ship,  and  the  finest  sea 
boat,  I  believe,  in  the  world.  Our  officers  and  crew 
are  young  and  ambitious.  They  fight  with  more 
cheerfulness  than  they  do  any  other  duty.  Captain 
Blakeley  is  a  brave  and  discreet  officer,  as  cool  and 
collected  in  action  as  at  table." 

In  those  old  days  of  sailing,  given  the  weather- 
gage  and  the  breeze  that  suited  her  best  qualities, 
a  handy  vessel  could  boldly  sail  into  view  of  a  pow 
erful  fleet  of  the  enemy,  and  she  could  actually  pre 
sent  the  tableau  of  an  agile  wolf  following  at  the 
heels  of  a  very  angry  herd  of  bulls,  any  one  of  which 
could  toss  her  into  the  air  or  grind  her  under  foot. 
So  spry  a  sailer  was  the  Wasp  that  she  could  slip 
away  from  even  a  towering  seventy-four,  given  her 
best  weather. 

After  a  protracted  and  tedious  stay  in  L'Orient,  the 
little  sloop  made  her  way  to  sea  on  the  27th  of  Au 
gust.  On  the  30th  she  captured  the  British  brig  Let- 
tice,  and  on  the  next  day  the  British  brig  Bon  Accord. 


2O2  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE  WAR   OF    1 8 12 

The  morning  of  the  ist  of  September  dawned 
bright  and  clear.  There  was  just  the  breeze  that 
enabled  the  Wasp  to  show  her  finest  form.  Very 
early  the  lookout  discovered  a  fleet  of  ten  sail  to 
the  windward,  away  in  advance.  Plunging  up  and 
down  lazily,  scarcely  moving  in  the  light  breeze,  was 
a  huge  line -of -battle  ship,  and  close  to  her  was  a 
bomb  vessel. 

The  Yankee  captain  audaciously  came  down  be 
fore  the  wind.  In  full  sight  of  H.  M.  S.  Armada,  the 
seventy-four,  and  the  other  armed  consort,  Blakeley 
cut  out  the  brig  Mary.  She  was  laden  with  brass 
and  iron  cannon  and  military  stores  from  Gibraltar 
to  England.  As  she  was  a  slow  sailer  she  was  set 
on  fire,  after  the  prisoners  had  been  removed. 

Endeavor  was  made  to  take  another  of  the  con 
voy.  The  consternation  and  rage  of  the  commander 
of  the  ship  of  line  can  well  be  imagined.  There  was 
not  breeze  enough  for  his  great  vessel  to  make  head 
way  by  tacking,  but  the  wind,  changing  a  few  points, 
enabled  him  to  creep  down  towards  the  American, 
whereupon  Blakeley  swung  about  leisurely,  and  soon 
left  the  ponderous  Englishman  hull  down. 

When  he  had  shaken  off  his  pursuer  he  resumed 
his  course,  and  at  half-past  six  in  the  evening  sighted 
four  vessels  at  almost  the  same  moment;  two  were 
to  starboard  and  two  off  the  larboard  bow,  the  lat 
ter  being  farthest  to  windward.  He  picked  out  the 
nearest,  a  brig,  and  set  all  sail  to  come  within  gun 
shot  of  her. 


THE  CRUISE  OF  THE  "  WASP  "  2O3 

At  seven  the  chase  commenced  making  signals 
with  flags,  and  soon  after  with  lanterns  and  rockets. 
It  was  past  nine  o'clock  and  quite  dark  when  the 
Wasp  came  up  within  hailing  distance. 

To  quote  from  a  British  account  of  the  affair, 
dated  Cork,  September  7th :  "  The  Englishman 
spoke  first,  and  demanded  to  know  who  the  silent 
on-comer  was.  The  '  Yankee,'  in  reply,"  says  the  ac 
count,  "  called  through  his  trumpet,  '  Heave  to,  and 
I'll  let  you  know  who  I  am.'  At  the  same  time  a 
gun  was  fired  by  the  Avon,  and  the  most  sanguina 
ry  action  commenced,  which  continued  until  eleven 
o'clock,  when  the  American  sheared  off  and  said, 
*  This  is  the  Wasp!"  Then  the  British  account,  for 
some  reason,  adds  :  "  She  appeared  to  be  in  a  sink 
ing  state  and  glad  to  get  away." 

In  Captain  Blakeley's  letter  to  the  Secretary  of 
the  Navy  he  mentions  circumstances  which  may 
throw  some  light  upon  the  actual  happenings.  Af 
ter  an  hour's  sharp  interchange  of  broadsides  it  was 
imagined  that  the  Avon  had  struck,  and  orders  were 
given  to  cease  firing.  Blakeley  hailed,  but  received 
no  answer.  Suddenly  the  Britisher  opened  up  with 
his  guns  again.  It  was  twelve  minutes  past  ten 
when  he  was  hailed  the  second  time.  The  enemy 
had  suffered  greatly,  and  had  made  no  return  to  his 
last  two  broadsides.  A  cutter  was  lowered  away,  and 
as  it  was  leaving  the  side  of  the  Wasp  to  board  the 
prize  a  second  brig  was  discovered  a  little  distance 
astern  standing  down  before  the  freshening  breeze. 


204  NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE  WAR  OF   l8l2 

The  crew  were  again  sent  to  quarters,  and  every 
thing  was  made  ready  for  another  action.  A  few 
minutes  later  the  two  other  sail  which  had  been 
off  to  windward  were  discovered  also  coming  down 
towards  the  Wasp.  The  braces  of  the  latter  had 
been  shot  away,  and  it  was  necessary  to  keep  off 
the  wind  until  others  might  be  rove.  Blakeley  did 
not  endeavor  to  hasten.  It  was  his  intention  to  draw 
the  second  and  foremost  brig  away  from  her  com 
panions  and  engage  her  as  soon  as  they  had  reached 
a  good  distance  from  the  others.  To  his  surprise, 
however,  the  brig,  which,  from  the  English  account, 
we  make  out  to  be  the  Castilian,  hauled  her  wind  as 
soon  as  she  came  within  range,  fired  one  broad 
side,  and  retraced  her  course  to  join  her  consorts, 
who  were  gathered  about  the  Avon. 

To  Blakeley's  disappointment,  he  had  to  give  up 
taking  the  prize,  whose  name  and  forces  he  did  not 
know,  as  it  had  been  impossible  to  distinguish  the 
answer  to  his  first  hail. 

The  Wasp  was  struck  by  four  shot  in  the  hull, 
each  of  which  shot  was  thirty-two  pounds  in  weight, 
being  one  and  three-quarter  pounds  heavier  than 
any  the  American  carried. 

For  a  long  time  the  fate  of  the  vessel  which  she 
had  been  fighting  was  not  known,  but  she  sank  a 
few  hours  after  the  action.  The  loss  on  board  the 
Wasp  was  two  killed  and  one  wounded.  From  the 
English  account,  the  loss  on  board  the  Avon  was 
nine  killed  and  thirty-three  wounded.  As  she  was 


THE   CRUISE   OF   THE   "  WASP  "  205 

sinking,  the  Tartarus,  a  sloop  of  war,  came  up  and 
took  on  board  forty  of  her  crew. 

In  the  list  of  the  vessels  of  the  American  navy  in 
commission  during  the  war  of  1812  the  name  of  the 
Wasp  is  starred,  with  one  or  two  others  bearing  the 
same  mark,  and,  looking  at  the  bottom  of  the  page, 
we  see  this  short  comment,  "  Lost  at  sea."  This 
was  the  sad  fate  of  the  gallant  little  craft  which 
caused  John  Bull  so  much  trouble  in  her  short 
career.  It  was  never  known  what  became  of  her. 
Some  authorities  on  the  British  side  stated  that  she 
had  sunk  from  the  injuries  received  in  her  action 
with  the  Avon;  but  of  course  we  have  the  report 
of  Captain  Blakeley  sent  by  a  vessel  spoken  off  the 
Western  Isles. 

In  speaking  of  the  disappearance  a  contemporary 
writes :  "  The  most  general  impression  is  that  she 
[the  Wasp]  was  lost  by  one  of  those  casualties  in 
cident  to  the  great  deep  which  have  destroyed  so 
many  gallant  vessels  in  a  manner  no  one  knows 
how."  ' 

A  strange  circumstance,  however,  gives  rise  to  a 
supposition.  A  British  frigate  put  into  Lisbon  in  a 
shattered  condition.  She  reported  having  fallen  in 
with  a  vessel  and  having  engaged  her  through  the 
better  part  of  the  night.  She  had  made  out  that  her 
antagonist  was  much  smaller  than  herself,  and  evi 
dently  an  American.  She  had  not  surrendered,  and 
had  disappeared  suddenly,  "  as  if  the  sea  had  swal 
lowed  her."  This  may  have  been  the  Wasp. 


206  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE  WAR  OF   1 8 12 

The  fact  remains,  however,  that  no  trace  of  her 
or  any  of  her  crew  was  ever  found  after  she  spoke 
the  vessel  at  the  Western  Isles.  The  first  Wasp, 
captured  with  her  prize  (the  British  sloop  Frolic) 
by  an  English  ship  of  the  line,  was  also  lost  at  sea, 
after  being  refitted  and  commissioned  in  the  Eng 
lish  service. 

Johnston  Blakeley  was  an  Irish  -  American.  He 
was  born  in  Ireland  (in  the  village  of  Seaford,  in  the 
county  of  Down).  When  he  was  but  two  years  old 
his  father,  John  Blakeley,  emigrated  to  America  and 
took  up  his  residence  in  Philadelphia,  from  whence 
he  moved  to  the  South.  He  had  the  misfortune  to 
lose  all  of  his  children  with  the  exception  of  John 
ston,  whom  he  sent  to  New  York  for  his  education. 
This  was  in  the  year  1 790 ;  but  the  young  man,  al 
though  he  studied  law  with  the  intention  of  becom 
ing  a  member  of  the  bar,  gave  up  all  idea  of  it  short 
ly  after  his  father's  death.  He  left  the  University  of 
North  Carolina,  at  which  he  was  a  student,  and  suc 
ceeded  in  getting  a  midshipman's  warrant  when  he 
was  nineteen  years  of  age,  much  older  than  the  aver 
age  run  of  reefers. 

Blakeley  was  a  favorite  with  all  who  knew  him, 
and  his  loss  was  mourned  by  all  his  countrymen. 


XV 

THE  BATTLE  OF  LAKE  CHAMPLAIN 

[September  nth,  1814] 


MEDAL    PRESENTED    BY   CONGRESS    TO 
CAPTAIN  THOMAS    MACDONOUGH 


THE  first  Thomas  Macdonough  was  a  ma 
jor  in  the  Continental  army,  and  his  three 
sons  also  possessed  desires  for  entering 
the  service  of  their  country.  The  oldest  had  been 
a  midshipman  under  Commodore  Truxton,  but  be 
ing  wounded  in  the  action  between  the  Constellation 
and  U  Insurgent,  he  had  to  retire  from  the  navy  ow 
ing  to  the  amputation  of  his  leg.  But  his  younger 
brother,  Thomas  Macdonough,  Jr.,  succeeded  him, 
and  he  has  rendered  his  name  and  that  of  Lake 
Champlain  inseparable;  but  his  fearlessness  and 
bravery  were  shown  on  many  occasions  long  before 
he  was  ordered  to  the  lakes. 

In  1806  he  was  first  lieutenant  of  the  Siren,  a 
little  sloop  of  war  in  the  Mediterranean  service. 
On  one  occasion  when  Captain  Smith,  the  com 
mander  of  the  Siren,  had  gone  on  shore,  young 
Lieutenant  Macdonough  saw  a  boat  from  a  British 
frigate  lying  in  the  harbor  row  up  to  an  American 
brig  a  short  distance  off,  and  afterwards  put  out 
again  with  one  more  man  in  her  than  she  had  orig 
inally.  This  looked  suspicious,  and  Macdonough 
sent  to  the  brig  to  ascertain  the  reason,  with  the 
result  that  he  found  that  an  American  had  been 
impressed  by  the  English  captain's  orders.  Macdon- 
14 


210  NAVAL   ACTIONS    OF   THE   WAR   OF    l8l2 

ough  quietly  lowered  his  own  boat,  and  put  after  the 
heavy  cutter,  which  he  soon  overhauled.  Although 
he  had  but  four  men  with  him,  he  took  the  man  out 
of  the  cutter  and  brought  him  on  board  the  Siren. 
When  the  English  captain  heard,  or  rather  saw, 
what  had  occurred  —  it  was  right  under  the  bow 
of  his  frigate  that  the  affair  took  place — he  waxed 
wroth,  and,  calling  away  his  gig,  he  rowed  to  the 
Siren  to  demand  an  explanation. 

The  following  account  of  the  incident  is  quoted 
from  the  life  of  Macdonough  in  Frost's  Naval  Biog 
raphy  : 

"  The  Englishman  desired  to  know  how  Mac 
donough  dared  to  take  a  man  from  one  of  His 
Majesty's  boats.  The  lieutenant,  with  great  polite 
ness,  asked  him  down  into  the  cabin;  this  he  re 
fused,  at  the  same  time  repeating  the  same  demand, 
with  abundance  of  threats.  The  Englishman  threw 
out  some  threats  that  he  would  take  the  man  by 
force,  and  said  he  would  haul  the  frigate  alongside 
the  Siren  for  that  purpose.  To  this  Macdonough 
replied  that  he  supposed  his  ship  could  sink  the 
Siren,  but  as  long  as  she  could  swim  he  should 
keep  the  man.  The  English  captain  said  to  Mac 
donough  : 

"  *  You  are  a  very  young  man,  and  a  very  indiscreet 
young  man.  Suppose  I  had  been  in  the  boat — 
what  would  you  have  done  ?' 

"  *  I  would  have  taken  the  man  or  lost  my  life.' 

" '  What,  sir !    would  you  attempt  to  stop  me,  if 


THE   BATTLE    OF   LAKE   CHAMPLAIN  211 

I  were  now  to  attempt  to  impress  men  from  that 
brig?' 

"  '  I  would ;  and  to  convince  yourself  I  would,  you 
have  only  to  make  the  attempt.' 

"  On  this  the  Englishman  went  on  board  his  ship, 
and  shortly  afterwards  was  seen  bearing  down  in  her 
in  the  direction  of  the  American  vessel.  Macdonough 
ordered  his  boat  manned  and  armed,  got  into  her 
himself,  and  was  in  readiness  for  pursuit.  The  Eng 
lishman  took  a  circuit  around  the  American  brig, 
and  returned  again  to  the  frigate.  When  Captain 
Smith  came  on  board  he  justified  the  conduct  of 
Macdonough,  and  declared  his  intention  to  protect 
the  American  seaman." 

Although  Macdonough  was  very  young,  and  his 
rank  but  that  of  a  lieutenant,  people  who  knew  him 
were  not  surprised  to  hear  that  he  had  been  ap 
pointed  to  take  command  of  the  little  squadron  on 
Lake  Champlain.  These  vessels  were  built  of  green 
pine,  and  almost  without  exception  constructed  in  a 
hurried  fashion.  They  had  to  be  of  light  draught, 
and  yet,  odd  to  relate,  their  general  model  was  the 
same  as  that  of  ships  that  were  expected  to  meet 
storms  and  high  seas. 

Macdonough  was  just  the  man  for  the  place;  as 
in  the  case  of  Perry,  he  had  a  superb  self-reliance 
and  was  eager  to  meet  the  enemy. 

Lake  Champlain  and  the  country  that  surrounds 
it  were  considered  of  great  importance  by  the  Eng 
lish,  and,  descending  from  Canada,  large  bodies  of 


212  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE   WAR  OF    1 8 12 

troops  poured  into  New  York  State.  But  the  Ameri 
can  government  had,  long  before  the  war  was  fair 
ly  started,  recognized  the  advantage  of  keeping  the 
water  communications  on  the  northern  frontier. 
The  English  began  to  build  vessels  on  the  upper 
part  of  the  lake,  and  the  small  force  of  ships  belong 
ing  to  the  Americans  was  increased  as  fast  as  pos 
sible.  It  was  a  race  to  see  which  could  prepare  the 
better  fleet  in  the  shorter  space  of  time. 

In  the  fall  of  the  year  1814  the  English  had  one 
fairly  sized  frigate,  the  Confiance,  mounting  39  guns  ; 
a  brig,  the  Linnet ;  a  sloop,  Chubb,  and  the  sloop 
Finch ;  besides  which  they  possessed  thirteen  large 
galleys,  aggregating  18  guns.  In  all,  therefore,  the 
English  fleet  mounted  95  guns.  The  Americans 
had  the  Saratoga,  sloop  of  war,  26  guns ;  the  Ea 
gle,  20 ;  the  Ticonderoga,  1 7 ;  the  Preble,  7  ;  and  ten 
galleys  carrying  16;  their  total  armament  was  nine 
guns  less  than  the  British. 

By  the  first  week  in  September,  Sir  George  Pre- 
vost  had  organized  his  forces,  and  started  at  the 
head  of  fourteen  thousand  men  to  the  southward. 
It  was  his  intention  to  dislodge  General  Macomb, 
who  was  stationed  at  Plattsburg,  where  considerable 
fortifications  had  been  erected.  A  great  deal  of  the 
militia  force  had  been  drawn  down  the  State  to  the 
city  of  New  York,  owing  to  the  fears  then  enter 
tained  that  the  British  intended  making  an  attack 
upon  the  city  from  their  fleet.  It  was  Sir  George's 
plan  to  destroy  forever  the  power  of  the  Americans 


THE    BATTLE   OF   LAKE   CHAMPLAIN  213 

upon  the  lake,  and  for  that  reason  it  was  necessary 
to  capture  the  naval  force  which  had  been  for  some 
time  under  the  command  of  Macdonough.  The  Eng 
lish  leader  arranged  a  plan  with  Captain  Downie, 
who  was  at  the  head  of  the  squadron,  that  simulta 
neous  attacks  should  be  made  by  water  and  land. 
At  eight  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  September  nth 
news  was  brought  to  Lieutenant  Macdonough  that 
the  enemy  was  approaching.  As  his  own  vessels 
were  in  a  good  position  to  repel  an  attack,  he  de 
cided  to  remain  at  anchor,  and  await  the  onslaught 
in  a  line  formation.  In  about  an  hour  the  enemy 
had  come  within  gunshot  distance,  and  formed  a 
line  of  his  own  parallel  with  that  of  the  Americans. 
There  was  little  or  no  breeze,  and  consequently  small 
chance  for  manoeuvring.  The  Conftance  evidently 
claimed  the  honor  of  exchanging  broadsides  with 
the  Saratoga.  The  Linnet  stopped  opposite  the 
Eagle,  and  the  galleys  rowed  in  and  began  to  fire  at 
the  Ticonderoga  and  the  Preble. 

Macdonough  wrote  such  a  clear  and  concise  ac 
count  of  the  action  that  it  is  best  to  quote  from  it: 

"...  The  whole  force  on  both  sides  became  en 
gaged,  the  Saratoga  suffering  much  from  the  heavy 
fire  of  the  Con/lance.  I  could  perceive  at  the  same 
time,  however,  that  our  fire  was  very  destructive  to 
her.  The  Ticonderoga,  Lieutenant  -  Commandant 
Cassin,  gallantly  sustained  her  full  share  of  the  ac 
tion.  At  half -past  ten  the  Eagle,  not  being  able  to 
bring  her  guns  to  bear,  cut  her  cable,  and  anchored 


214  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE  WAR   OF    l8l2 

in  a  more  eligible  position,  between  my  ship  and 
the  Ticonderoga,  where  she  very  much  annoyed  the 
enemy,  but  unfortunately  leaving  me  exposed  to  a 
galling  fire  from  the  enemy's  brig. 

"  Our  guns  on  the  starboard  side  being  nearly  all 
dismounted  or  unmanageable,  a  stern -anchor  was 
let  go,  the  bower  -  cable  cut,  and  the  ship  winded 
with  a  fresh  broadside  on  the  enemy's  ship,  which 
soon  after  surrendered.  Our  broadside  was  then 
sprung  to  bear  on  the  brig,  which  struck  about  fif 
teen  minutes  afterwards.  The  sloop  which  was  op 
posed  to  the  Eagle  had  struck  some  time  before,  and 
drifted  down  the  line.  The  sloop  which  was  with 
their  galleys  had  also  struck.  Three  of  their  gal 
leys  are  said  to  be  sunk ;  the  others  pulled  off.  Our 
galleys  were  about  obeying  with  alacrity  the  signal 
to  follow  them,  when  all  the  vessels  were  reported  to 
me  to  be  in  a  sinking  state.  It  then  became  nec 
essary  to  annul  the  signal  to  the  galleys,  and  order 
their  men  to  the  pumps.  I  could  only  look  at  the 
enemy's  galleys  going  off  in  a  shattered  condi 
tion;  for  there  was  not  a  mast  in  either  squadron 
that  could  stand  to  make  sail  on.  The  lower  rig 
ging,  being  nearly  all  shot  away,  hung  down  as 
though  it  had  just  been  placed  over  the  mast 
heads. 

"  The  Saratoga  had  fifty-nine  round  shot  in  her 
hull;  the  Confiance  one  hundred  and  five.  The 
enemy's  shot  passed  principally  just  over  our  heads, 
as  there  were  not  twenty  whole  hammocks  in  the 


THE   BATTLE   OF   LAKE   CHAMPLAIN  21$ 

nettings  at  the  close  of  the  action,  which  lasted, 
without  intermission,  two  hours  and  twenty  minutes. 

"  The  absence  and  sickness  of  Lieutenant  Ray 
mond  Perry  left  me  without  the  assistance  of  that 
able  officer.  Much  ought  fairly  to  be  attributed  to 
him  for  his  great  care  and  attention  in  disciplining 
the  ship's  crew,  as  her  first  lieutenant.  His  place 
was  filled  by  a  gallant  young  officer,  Lieutenant 
Peter  Gamble,  who,  I  regret  to  inform  you,  was 
killed  early  in  the  action." 

The  English  had  begun  the  action  as  if  they 
never  doubted  the  result  being  to  their  advantage, 
and  before  taking  up  their  positions  in  the  line 
parallel  to  Macdonough's,  Downie  had  sailed  upon 
the  waiting  fleet  bows  on ;  thus  most  of  his  ves 
sels  had  been  severely  raked  before  they  were  able 
to  return  the  fire.  As  soon  as  Sir  George  Prevost 
saw  the  results  of  the  action  out  on  the  water,  he 
gave  up  all  idea  of  conquest,  and  began  the  retreat 
that  left  New  York  free  to  breathe  again.  The 
frontier  was  saved.  The  hills  and  the  shores  of  the 
lake  had  been  crowded  with  multitudes  of  farmers, 
and  the  two  armies  encamped  on  shore  had  stopped 
their  own  preparations  and  fighting  to  watch. 

Sir  George  Prevost  had  bombarded  the  American 
forts  from  the  opposite  side  of  the  River  Saranac, 
and  a  brigade  endeavored  to  ford  the  river  with  the 
intention  of  attacking  the  rear  of  General  Macomb's 
position.  However,  they  got  lost  in  the  woods,  and 
were  recalled  by  a  mounted  messenger  just  in  time 


2l6  NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE   WAR  OF    1 8 12 

to  hear  the  cheers  and  shouts  of  victory  arise  from 
all  about  them. 

In  the  battle  the  Saratoga  had  twenty-eight  men 
killed  and  twenty-nine  wounded,  more  than  a  quar 
ter  of  her  entire  crew ;  the  Eagle  lost  thirteen  killed 
and  twenty  wounded;  the  Ticonderoga,  six  killed 
and  six  wounded ;  the  Preble,  two  killed ;  and  the 
galleys,  three  killed  and  three  wounded.  The  Sara 
toga  was  hulled  fifty-five  times,  and  had  caught  on 
fire  twice  from  the  hot  shot  fired  by  the  Confiance. 
The  latter  vessel  was  reported  to  have  lost  forty-one 
killed  outright  and  eighty-three  wounded.  In  all,  the 
British  loss  was  eighty-four  killed  and  one  hundred 
and  ten  wounded. 

Macdonough  received  substantial  testimonials  of 
gratitude  from  the  country  at  large,  the  Legislature 
of  New  York  giving  him  one  thousand  acres  of 
land  and  the  State  of  Vermont  two  hundred.  Be 
sides  this,  the  corporations  of  Albany  and  New 
York  City  made  him  the  present  of  a  valuable  lot, 
and  from  his  old  command  in  the  Mediterranean  he 
received  a  handsome  presentation  sword. 


XVI 

THE   LOSS  OF  THE  "PRESIDENT" 

[January  isth,  1815] 


IN  recording  the  actions  of  the  war  of  1812  that 
gave  lustre  to  our  navy  and  added  to  the  rec 
ords  of  its  heroes,  we  have  already  included 
two  in  which  the  results  were  defeat  and  capture 
of  American  ships.  The  Essex  and  the  Chesapeake 
are  here  referred  to,  the  latter  being  the  only  case  in 
which  the  opposing  forces  approached  an  equality. 
There  is  one  other  action  still  to  be  touched  upon, 
which,  though  disastrous,  cannot  but  reflect  honor 
upon  those  connected  with  it. 

Stephen  Decatur,  the  idol  of  the  American  ser 
vice,  had  been  given  the  command  of  the  frigate 
President,  which  had  been  refitting  in  the  harbor  of 
New  York. 

On  the  evening  of  the  i4th  of  January,  1815,  he 
sailed  into  the  lower  bay,  intending  to  make  his 
way  to  sea  under  cover  of  the  night,  as  it  was 
known  that  a  heavy  squadron  of  the  English  had 
been  hovering  along  the  coasts  of  New  Jersey  and 
Long  Island. 

In  leaving  the  harbor  near  Sandy  Hook,  owing 
to  some  mistake  of  the  pilot,  the  President  ground 
ed  heavily  on  a  sand-bar,  and  for  an  hour  and  a 
half  she  struck  continually  in  her  efforts  to  escape, 
breaking  several  of  her  rudder-braces  and  straining 


22O  NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE   WAR   OF   l8l2 

her  seams  so  badly  that  she  commenced  to  leak  very 
fast.  Decatur  determined  to  return  to  the  harbor, 
as  he  suspected,  what  was  afterwards  proved  to  be 
true,  that  the  President  had  carried  away  part  of  her 
false  keel,  and  was  badly  hogged  (z.  *.,  broken  and 
bent  near  her  keelson).  Owing  to  a  strong  wind 
rising,  it  was  found  impossible  to  put  the  President 
about,  and  the  tide  being  at  the  flood,  it  became 
necessary  to  force  her  over  the  bar  at  all  hazards. 
By  ten  o'clock  that  night  she  had  succeeded  in  free 
ing  herself,  and  shaped  her  course  along  the  shore 
of  Long  Island,  steering  southeast  by  east. 

Shortly  after  daybreak  three  ships  were  discov 
ered  ahead.  The  President  hauled  her  wind  and 
passed  two  miles  to  the  northward  of  them.  As  the 
morning  mist  disappeared,  it  was  discovered  that 
four  ships  were  in  chase — one  on  each  quarter  and 
two  astern.  The  leading  ship,  from  the  height  of 
her  towering  masts,  was  made  out  to  be  a  razee. 
She  commenced  firing,  but  at  such  a  distance  that 
the  shot  fell  short. 

At  twelve  the  steady  breeze  which  had  been  blow 
ing  became  light  and  baffling.  The  President,  de 
spite  her  crippled  condition,  had  left  the  large  ves 
sel  far  behind,  but  the  next  ship  astern  was  proving 
herself  a  faster  sailer,  and  was  gradually  gaining — 
creeping  up  with  every  puff  of  wind.  The  Pres 
ident  sat  deep  in  the  water,  and  plunged  down 
ward  into  the  sea  as  if  she  had  been  waterlogged. 
Immediately  all  hands  were  occupied  in  lightening 


THE  LOSS   OF  THE  "PRESIDENT"  221 

the  ship,  starting  the  water  in  the  butts,  cutting 
away  the  anchors,  throwing  overboard  provisions, 
cables,  spare  boats,  and  every  article  to  be  gotten  at, 
while  the  men  aloft  were  hoisting  buckets  and  keep 
ing  the  sails  wet  from  the  royals  down. 

At  three  o'clock  the  large  ship,  which  had  been 
joined  by  a  brig,  came  up  rapidly.  It  was  the  En- 
dymion,  mounting  50  guns,  and  she  commenced  to 
fire  as  she  neared  with  her  forward  battery,  while 
Decatur  replied  with  his  stern  -  chasers.  Thus  it 
continued  for  two  hours,  when  the  Englishman  ob 
tained  a  position  on  the  starboard  quarter  at  less 
than  point-blank  range,  and  maintained  it  so  clev 
erly  that  neither  the  President's  stern  nor  quarter 
guns  would  bear.  For  half  an  hour  the  vessels 
sailed  on,  firing  occasional  guns,  and  keeping  back 
their  broadsides,  the  Englishman  wishing,  no  doubt, 
to  capture  the  President  without  crippling  her, 
while  Decatur  hoped  to  be  able  to  close,  as  he  had 
had  his  boarders  waiting  for  some  time.  It  became 
evident,  however,  that  the  Englishman  did  not  wish 
close  quarters ;  and  as  it  was  growing  dusk,  Decatur 
made  up  his  mind  to  alter  his  course  farther  to  the 
south,  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  the  enemy  abeam. 
Meanwhile  the  ships  astern  were  approaching,  and 
would  soon  be  within  range.  For  two  hours  and  a 
half  longer  the  Englishman  and  the  President  sailed 
side  by  side,  and  the  action  gave  cause  for  some 
pretty  writing  and  press  controversy  afterwards,  as 
all  unfinished  international  contests  will. 


222  NAVAL  ACTIONS    OF  THE   WAR   OF    l8l2 

However,  there  is  no  question  whatever  that  the 
President  during  the  running  fight  completely  dis 
abled  her  antagonist,  and  at  last  left  her  drifting 
round  and  round  helplessly  before  eight  o'clock  had 
passed. 

It  was  growing  dark,  but  the  other  ships  of  the 
squadron  could  be  made  out  by  their  signal-lights, 
and  to  lower  a  boat  to  take  possession  of  the  En- 
dymion  was  impossible.  One  more  attempt  Decatur 
made  to  avoid  capture,  and  to  accomplish  this  he 
sailed  close  to  the  Endymion  and  exposed  himself 
to  a  raking  fire,  being  within  range  for  over  half  an 
hour,  but  not  a  shot  was  heard.  The  Englishman 
had  been  placed  entirely  out  of  the  combat. 

At  eleven  it  had  lightened  considerably,  and  two 
fresh  ships  of  the  enemy  had  crawled  up  within 
gunshot.  They  were  the  Pomone  and  the  Tenedos, 
heavy  frigates.  When  within  musket -shot  the  Po 
mone  opened  fire  on  the  larboard  bow,  and  the  Ten- 
edos  swung  across  the  Presidents  wake,  taking  a  rak 
ing  position  on  her  quarter. 

With  a  breaking  heart  the  gallant  Decatur  saw 
that  there  was  nothing  for  it  but  surrender.  One- 
fifth  of  his  crew  had  been  killed  or  wounded,  the 
ship  was  crippled  aloft  and  leaking  badly,  and  he 
hauled  down  his  flag. 

The  joy  of  the  English  officers  when  they  found 
who  it  was  that  had  yielded  to  them  was  great,  and 
it  must  be  recorded  that  they  did  everything  in 
their  power  to  make  it  comfortable  for  the  wound- 


THE  LOSS  OF  THE  "PRESIDENT"  223 

ed,  and  that  their  treatment  of  the  officers  was  cour 
teous  and  kindly.  For  twenty-four  hours  after  the 
action  it  fell  a  dead  calm,  and  the  crews  of  the 
squadron  were  kept  occupied  in  repairing  the  crip 
pled  ships.  As  if  to  enforce  the  idea  that  the  En- 
dymion  had  not  surrendered,  Decatur  was  placed  on 
board  of  her,  a  cabin  prisoner. 

On  the  i  yth  a  tremendous  gale  came  from  the  east 
ward,  which  played  havoc  with  the  late  combatants, 
the  President's  masts  going  by  the  board,  and  the 
Endymion  losing  her  bowsprit,  fore  and  main  mast, 
and  mizzen-topmast,  being  compelled  to  throw  over 
board  all  her  upper-deck  guns.  It  had  been  impos 
sible  for  Decatur  to  ascertain  the  exact  number  of 
the  killed  and  wounded,  but  he  speaks  of  his  great 
sorrow  at  the  loss  of  three  of  his  most  trusted  lieu 
tenants  —  Babbit,  Howell,  and  Hamilton,  the  last 
being  the  son  of  the  late  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 
It  was  he  who  had  had  the  honor  of  conveying  the 
news  of  the  capture  of  the  Macedonian  to  Wash 
ington,  and  who  had  appeared,  as  we  have  record 
ed,  at  the  ball  given  by  Dolly  Madison  wrapped  in 
the  colors  of  the  captured  ship. 

Decatur  and  his  officers  were  given  the  freedom 
of  the  island  of  Bermuda,  and  crowds  swarmed  to 
visit  the  captured  President  as  she  lay  decked  with 
British  flags  in  the  harbor. 

Captain  Hays  of  the  Majestic,  to  whom  Decatur 
had  surrendered  his  sword,  returned  it  at  once,  and 
proved  to  be  a  friend  who  was  worth  the  gaining. 


224  NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE  WAR  OF   l8l2 

Upon  the  investigation  of  the  action  Decatur  was 
honorably  exonerated,  and  Alexander  Murray,  the 
President  of  the  Court  of  Inquiry,  expressed  himself 
in  the  following  words  : 

"  We  consider  the  management  of  the  President 
from  the  time  the  chase  commenced  until  her  sur 
render  as  the  highest  evidence  of  the  experience, 
skill,  and  resources  of  her  commander,  and  of  the 
ability  and  seamanship  of  her  officers  and  crew. 
We  fear  that  we  cannot  express  in  a  manner  that 
will  do  justice  to  our  feelings  our  admiration  of  the 
conduct  of  Commodore  Decatur  and  of  all  under 
his  command.  ...  In  this  unequal  conflict  the  ene 
my  gained  a  ship,  but  the  victory  was  ours." 

Referring  to  the  press  comments  at  the  time,  a 
very  interesting  circumstance  occurred,  which  may 
prove  to  be  well  worth  the  reading,  especially  as 
showing  that  contemporaneous  press  notices  taking 
only  one  view  of  a  question  are  untrustworthy  re 
corders  of  history.  A  Bermuda  paper,  the  Royal 
Gazette,  published  on  the  2d  of  April  a  scurrilous 
and  unwarrantable  attack,  false  in  its  every  state 
ment,  that  impugned  the  character  of  Decatur  and 
cast  a  slur  on  the  name  of  each  one  of  his  officers. 
The  article,  in  giving  the  reports  of  the  capture, 
stated  that  the  President  had  struck  to  the  Endymion, 
and  that  after  she  had  done  so  Commodore  Decatur 
concealed  sixty-eight  men  in  the  hold  of  the  Presi 
dent  for  the  purpose  of  rising  on  the  prize  crew  and 
recapturing  her.  On  the  appearance  of  this  account 


THE   LOSS   OF  THE   "PRESIDENT"  22$ 

Captain  Hope  of  the  Endymion  immediately  sent 
an  officer  to  Commodore  Decatur,  disclaiming  any 
participation  in  the  article,  and  the  governor  of  the 
island  demanded  of  the  editor  of  the  Royal  Gazette 
that  he  should  immediately  retract  the  statement. 
This  the  editor,  much  against  his  will,  did,  but  in 
serted  a  foot-note  in  large  print  stating  that  the  re 
traction  was  inserted  "  merely  as  an  act  of  gener 
osity  and  a  palliative  for  the  irritated  feelings  of 
prisoners  of  war."  He  asserted  that  what  he  had 
said  at  first  was  correct,  and  declared  that  the  de 
ception  he  had  referred  to  was  planned  and  author 
ized  by  Commodore  Decatur.  It  is  of  interest  to 
quote  an  extract  from  an  official  letter  sent  by  the 
Governor  and  Commander-in-Chief  of  Bermuda  to 
the  editor  of  the  Royal  Gazette  upon  the  appear 
ance  of  this  second  article. 

The  governor's  secretary  writes  for  his  chief  as 
follows : 

"  The  Editor  of  the  Royal  Gazette  : 

"  Your  publication  of  Thursday  imposes  it  upon  His  Excellency 
the  Governor,  as  a  duty  to  himself,  to  Captain  Hope,  and  to  the 
British  nation,  and  in  common  justice  to  Commodore  Decatur,  who 
is  not  present  to  defend  himself  from  the  aspersions  that  you  have 
cast  upon  him,  not  to  admit  of  such  a  document  standing  uncon- 
tradicted  in  a  paper  published  under  the  immediate  authority  of 
His  Majesty's  government.  His  Excellency  is  thoroughly  aware  of 
the  great  importance  of  preserving  to  the  utmost  extent  perfect 
freedom  of  discussion  and  the  fullest  liberty  of  the  press  in  every 
part  of  the  British  dominions.  Undoubtedly,  therefore,  nothing 
could  be  further  from  his  intentions  than  the  most  distant  desire  to 
compel  a  British  editor  to  retract  a  statement  founded  on  truth ; 
15 


226  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE   WAR  OF    l8l2 

but  when  a  statement  is  founded  on  falsehood,  His  Excellency  con 
ceives  it  to  be  incumbent  on  him  equally,  in  duty  to  the  British  pub 
lic  and  in  support  of  the  true  character  of  the  British  press,  to  de 
mand  that  that  falsehood,  whether  directed  against  friend  or  foe, 
should  be  instantly  retracted,  or  that  the  paper  which  thinks  fit  to 
dfsgrace  its  columns  by  persevering  in  error  should  no  longer  be 
distinguished  by  royal  protection." 

Some  weeks  later,  in  an  issue  of  March  2d,  the 
following  extract  attracts  attention  in  a  Bermuda 
journal : 

"  On  Wednesday  evening  last  Mr.  Randolph,  of  the  United  States 
Navy,  late  of  the  President  frigate,  in  company  with  some  other 
officers  of  the  ship,  attacked  the  editor  of  the  Royal  Gazette  in  a 
most  violent  and  unprovoked  manner  with  a  stick,  while  he  was 
walking  unarmed.  The  timely  arrival  of  some  British  officers  pre 
vented  his  proceeding  to  further  acts  of  violence,  and,  the  guard 
shortly  after  coming  up,  the  officer  decamped,  and  the  next  morn 
ing,  we  understand,  he  was  hoisted  into  a  boat  at  the  crane  from 
the  Market  Wharf  and  absconded.  An  honorable  way,  truly,  for 
an  officer  to  quit  a  place  where  he  had  been  treated  with  civility 
and  politeness." 

However,  it  will  not  do  to  leave  the  subject  with 
out  quoting  from  a  letter  which  the  Mr.  Randolph 
referred  to  wrote  over  his  own  signature  and  sent  to 
the  editors  of  the  Commercial  Advertiser,  after  his 
return  to  New  York,  in  which  he  observes,  after  ref 
erence  to  the  Bermuda  Royal  Gazette,  the  affair  of 
the  stick,  and  the  "  acts  of  violence,"  as  follows : 

"  As  soon  as  I  read  the  scurrilous  remarks  in  the  Royal  Gazette 
of  the  fifteenth  ult.,  in  relation  to  the  capture  of  the  late  U.  S.  frigate 
President,  I  walked  to  the  King's  Square  with  the  determination  to 
chastise  the  editor.  I  soon  fell  in  with  him,  and  executed  my  pur 
pose  in  the  most  ample  and  satisfactory  manner.  There  was  no 


THE   LOSS   OF  THE   "  PRESIDENT  "  22/ 

American  officer  in  the  company  except  Midshipman  Emmett,  and 
Mr.  Ward,  the  editor,  was  accompanied  by  Lieutenant  Sammon,  of 
the  Royal  Navy,  but  by  neither  of  these  officers  was  I  interrupted 
or  assisted  in  the  operation. 

"  Having  previously  obtained  my  passports,  and  being  advised 
that  the  editor  of  the  Royal  Gazette  was  taking  measures  to  employ 
the  civil  authority  against  me,  I  left  the  island  the  next  day.  for  the 
United  States. 

"  I  am,  Gentlemen,  etc.,  etc., 

"  R.  B.  RANDOLPH,  Midshipman, 

"  Late  of  the  U.  S.  frigate  President" 

Upon  Decatur's  return  to  the  United  States  he 
was  treated  as  a  hero,  and  received  the  usual  ova 
tion  given  to  victors  when  they  return  to  their  na 
tive  land.  The  President  was  spoken  of  by  her 
captors  as  a  model  of  naval  architecture,  and  her 
method  of  construction  recommended  to  British 
ship-builders. 


XVII 

THE   -CONSTITUTION,"  THE  "CYANE,"  AND  THE 
-LEVANT" 

[February  2oth,  1815] 


MEDAL    PRESENTED    BY    CONGRESS    TO 
CAPTAIN  CHARLES    STF.WART 


CHARLES  STEWART  was  a  Philadel- 
phian.  He  was  born  on  the  28th  day  of 
July,  1778,  shortly  after  the  evacuation  of 
the  city  by  the  British.  His  mother  was  left  a  widow 
when  he  was  but  two  years  old.  Overcoming  many 
hardships,  Mrs.  Stewart  managed  to  support  herself 
and  her  large  family  of  eight  children  during  the 
troublous  times  of  the  Revolution.  At  the  age  of 
thirteen  Charles  entered  the  merchant  service  as  a 
cabin-boy,  and  speedily  began  to  show  that  he  had 
in  him  the  material  for  making  an  officer. 

At  the  age  of  twenty  he  was  in  command  of  a 
vessel  in  the  Indian  trade,  but  shortly  after  he  at 
tained  this  rank  he  accepted  a  commission  as  lieu 
tenant  in  the  navy  of  the  United  States.  Stewart's 
able  handling  of  the  little  schooner  Experiment,  of 
1 2  guns,  on  several  occasions  brought  him  to  the 
attention  of  the  country,  and  his  conduct  in  the 
Mediterranean  won  for  him  the  praise  of  his  supe 
riors  and  the  admiration  of  the  service.  He  was  a 
fine-looking,  energetic  man,  who  possessed  a  manner 
that  is  said  to  have  been  most  fascinating ;  but,  like 
all  of  his  school,  he  was  above  everything  else  a 
fighting  man. 

In  the  fall  of  the  year  1814,  after  the  repulse  of 


232  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE  WAR  OF   l8l2 

the  British  at  Norfolk,  Captain  Stewart,  who  at  the 
beginning  of  the  war  had  been  in  command  of  the 
36-gun  frigate  Constellation,  was  given  the  post  then 
most  desired  above  all  others  in  our  navy — that  of 
commander  of  "  Old  Ironsides." 

After  undergoing  some  repairs  in  the  navy-yard, 
the  Constitution,  with  a  veteran  crew,  sailed  from 
the  port  of  Boston  and  proceeded  southward.  For 
some  time  she  hung  about  the  Bermudas,  waiting  in 
vain  for  an  encounter ;  thence  she  sailed  away  for  the 
coasts  of  Surinam,  Berbice,  and  Demerara;  cruised 
to  windward  of  the  island  of  Barbadoes,  St.  Vincent, 
Martinique,  off  St.  Kitt's,  St.  Eustatius,  Porto  Rico, 
and  Santa  Cruz,  and  succeeded  in  capturing  and 
destroying  the  Picton,  of  16  guns;  a  merchant  ship 
of  10  guns;  the  brig  Catherine,  10  guns;  and  an 
armed  schooner,  the  Phoenix.  But  no  foe  was  seen 
that  was  worthy  of  her  mettle,  and  it  appeared  that 
bad  luck  was  in  the  breezes. 

At  this  time  the  Constitution  must  have  presented 
a  peculiar  appearance  while  under  way;  her  sails 
were  the  same  she  had  carried  in  her  cruises  under 
Hull  and  Bainbridge,  and  the  shot-holes  made  by  the 
Guerriere  and  the  Java  were  plain  to  view,  like  the 
honorable  scars  of  a  veteran.  Patched  and  thread 
bare,  her  canvas  was  in  no  condition  to  stand  a  blow 
or  to  hold  the  wind.  In  those  days  the  Constitution 
was  a  marked  vessel  in  many  senses.  In  view  of  the 
reputation  she  had  earned,  there  were  no  frigates  of 
her  class  that  appeared  to  seek  her  out,  and  it  was 


THE  "  CONSTITUTION,"  "  CYANE,"  AND  "  LEVANT  "   233 

not  considered  a  disgrace  to  avoid  a  meeting  with 
"  the  dangerous  nondescript,"  as  the  British  press 
had  labelled  her.  If  the  fact  was  once  ascertained 
what  vessel  it  was  that  carried  that  high  freeboard 
and  those  brown  patched  sails,  His  Majesty's  com 
manders  generally  showed  a  tenderness  that  their 
reputations  would  hardly  lead  one  to  expect.  In  the 
Mona  Passage,  for  instance,  Captain  Stewart  chased, 
but  failed  to  come  up  with,  the  British  frigate  La 
Pique,  and  on  two  separate  occasions  he  tried  to 
entice  the  enemy  to  meet  him  by  unfurling  at  first 
sight  the  enormous  flag  that  also  distinguished  the 
Constitution  above  the  other  frigates  in  our  service, 
but  all  to  no  purpose  ;  and  in  March  Stewart  de 
termined  to  return  to  the  United  States  in  order  to 
refit  completely.  But  he  was  not  to  reach  home 
without  an  adventure. 

Probably  no  vessel  in  the  world  had  so  many  nar 
row  escapes  from  capture  as  had  the  Constitution; 
only  masterly  seamanship  had  kept  her  from  being 
taken. 

From  1813  to  the  close  of  the  war  the  English 
frigates  generally  cruised  in  pairs;  and  off  the  New 
England  coast,  on  her  return  voyage,  the  Constitu 
tion  ran  across  the  Junon  and  La  Nymphe,  each  of 
50  guns.  She  managed  to  outsail  them  by  a  nar 
row  margin,  and  arrived  safely  at  Marblehead  in  the 
latter  part  of  April.  She  rested  in  Massachusetts 
Bay  for  seven  months,  completely  refitting  under 
the  eye  of  Captain  Stewart  himself;  and  in  Decem- 


234  NAVAL   ACTIONS   OF   THE   WAR   OF    l8l2 

ber  she  again  proceeded  to  sea,  and  was  then,  be 
yond  doubt,  the  best  equipped  and  best  ordered 
vessel  of  her  class  that  ever  answered  helm.  . 

Stewart  shaped  his  course  for  his  favorite  cruis 
ing -ground,  the  high  seas  to  the  eastward  of  the 
Bermudas,  and  on  the  24th  of  the  month  he  captured 
the  English  brig  Lord  Nelson,  and  took  the  ship 
Susan  with  a  valuable  cargo,  sending  the  latter  to 
New  York.  Then  he  bore  away  east,  with  the  in 
tention  of  reaching  the  waters  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  Madeira  Islands. 

The  morning  of  the  2Oth  of  February  began  with 
light  breezes  from  the  east  and  cloudy  weather.  At 
i  P.M.  a  sail  was  discovered  two  points  off  the  lar 
board  and  three  leagues  or  more  away.  The  Con 
stitution  bore  up  at  once,  and  made  all  sail  in  chase. 
In  half  an  hour  the  stranger  was  seen  to  be  a  ship, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  another  vessel  was  made  out 
ahead ;  both  were  close-hauled,  and  about  ten  miles 
apart.  At  four  o'clock  it  was  seen  that  the  weather- 
most  ship  was  signalling  her  consort,  who  immedi 
ately  shortened  sail  and  waited  for  her. 

For  an  hour  the  three  vessels  sailed  on.  The  two 
strangers,  that  were  closing  on  each  other  gradual 
ly,  displayed  no  flags;  and  although  at  too  great  a 
distance  to  reach  the  nearer  vessel,  Stewart  com 
menced  to  fire  with  his  bow  guns,  in  the  hope  that 
they  would  display  their  colors ;  but  to  no  purpose. 
It  was  not  doubted,  however,  that  they  were  Eng 
lish,  and  the  Constitution  cleared  for  action.  Soon 


THE  "CONSTITUTION,     "  CYANE,     AND  "LEVANT"   235 

they  passed  within  hail  of  one  another,  and,  hauling 
by  the  wind  on  the  starboard  tack,  showed  that  they 
were  prepared  to  fight. 

Now  commenced  the  usual  struggle  for  the  ad 
vantage  of  the  weather-gage ;  but,  finding  that  the 
Constitution  could  outpoint  them,  the  British  ves 
sels  gave  up  the  attempt,  and,  forming  in  line  about 
half  a  cable's  length  apart,  awaited  her  on-coming, 
shortening  sail,  and  evidently  preparing  some  con 
certed  method  of  attack.  At  six  Stewart  shook  out 
his  tremendous  flag,  and  the  British  ensigns  climb 
ed  up  in  answer ;  at  the  same  moment  both  vessels 
gave  three  rousing  cheers.  But  in  grim  silence  the 
Constitution  bore  down  upon  them,  ranged  up  on 
the  starboard  side  of  the  sternmost,  and  let  go  her 
broadside  at  a  distance  of  only  three  hundred  yards. 
The  English  replied  with  spirit,  and  the  cannonad 
ing  became  furious.  There  being  little  wind,  a 
great  bank  of  sulphurous  smoke,  impenetrable  as 
any  fog,  settled  over  the  water  on  the  Constitutions 
lee,  and  completely  hid  her  antagonists.  For  three 
minutes  the  Constitution  ceased  her  fire  altogether 
(the  enemy  having  slackened  also),  and  then  Stewart 
descried  the  topmasts  of  the  leader  stretching  above 
the  rolling  clouds  abreast  of  him.  He  fired  his 
broadside,  and  again  the  smoke  swallowed  her  from 
sight,  just  as  it  was  seen  that  the  ship  astern  had 
luffed  to  take  up  a  raking  position  on  the  larboard 
quarter.  The  superior  seamanship  of  the  American 
tars  and  the  quality  of  the  vessel  they  manned  could 


236  NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE  WAR  OF   1 8 12 

not  be  shown  better  than  by  the  manoeuvre  which 
followed.  Stewart  braced  aback  his  main  and 
mizzen  topsails,  and  immediately  the  Constitution 
gathered  sternway  and  slid  backwards  through  the 
smoke.  What  must  have  been  the  astonishment  of 
Captain  Gordon  Falcon,  the  British  commander, 
when  he  saw  alongside  of  him  the  enemy  that  he  had 
hoped,  a  few  minutes  before,  to  take  at  such  a  dis 
advantage  !  The  foremost  vessel,  that  had  received 
the  previous  broadside  of  the  Constitution,  kept  peg 
ging  away  at  a  spectre  in  the  sulphurous  cloud. 

At  thirty-five  minutes  past  six  the  enemy's  fire 
again  slackened,  and  the  headmost  ship  was  dis 
covered  bearing  up.  Now  the  Constitution  reversed 
her  tactics,  shot  ahead,  crossed  the  first  vessel's 
stern  and  raked  her  fearfully,  sailed  about  the  stern- 
most  and  raked  her  also;  then,  ranging  up  within 
hail  on  the  larboard  quarter,  she  prepared  for  anoth 
er  broadside,  when  the  last  ship  fired  a  lee  gun  and 
remained  silent.  At  ten  minutes  of  seven  Stewart 
lowered  his  boat  and  took  possession  of  His  Majes 
ty's  ship  Cyane,  mounting  34  guns,  commanded  by 
Captain  Gordon  Falcon.  The  moon  had  risen  by 
this  time ;  the  smoke  had  cleared  away,  and  it  was 
seen  that  the  other  ship  was  trying  her  best  to  get 
away  to  a  place  of  safety.  Seeing  this,  at  once  the 
Constitution  spread  all  sail  in  chase,  and  gallantly 
the  smaller  vessel,  finding  escape  impossible,  stood 
back  close-hauled  to  meet  her.  They  crossed  on 
opposite  tacks,  and  the  Constitution  wore  immedi- 


THE  "  CONSTITUTION,"  "  CYANE,"  AND  "  LEVANT  "   237 

ately  under  the  enemy's  stern  and  raked  her  with  a 
broadside. 

Again  the  Englishman  spread  all  sail,  and  en 
deavored  to  escape  by  running  free.  The  Constitu 
tion  broke  out  her  lighter  sail  in  chase,  firing  well- 
directed  shots  from  her  starboard  bow-chaser.  At 
ten,  seeing  she  could  not  escape,  the  English  ves 
sel  fired  a  gun,  struck  her  colors,  and  yielded. 

She  proved  to  be  His  Majesty's  ship  the  Levant, 
mounting  21  guns,  Captain  George  Douglass. 

Before  midnight  Stewart  had  manned  both  his 
prizes,  repaired  his  rigging,  shifted  his  sails,  and 
had  his  vessel  in  as  good  condition  as  before  the 
encounter. 

The  Cyane  was  a  ship  that  had  made  a  reputation 
for  herself  in  the  war  with  France.  She  was  one 
of  the  crack  sloops  of  war  in  the  English  service. 
Only  a  year  before  she  had  engaged  a  French  44- 
gun  frigate,  and  kept  her  at  bay  until  help  came 
in  the  shape  of  a  seventy -four.  Her  commander 
was  so  crestfallen  at  having  to  surrender  that 
when  he  came  aboard  a  prisoner  he  hardly  rec 
ognized  Stewart's  courteous  greetings  and  compli 
ments. 

Down  in  the  cabin  of  the  Constitution  a  little 
scene  was  enacted  that  must  have  been  dramatic. 
Captain  Douglass  and  Captain  Falcon  were  treated 
as  honored  guests  by  Captain  Stewart,  and  over 
their  wine  at  dinner  the  day  after  the  capture  the 
two  Englishmen  indulged  in  a  dispute,  each  placing 


238  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE   WAR  OF    l8l2 

the  responsibility  for  the  defeat  upon  the  other's 
shoulders. 

Stewart  listened  without  comment  for  some  min 
utes,  and  then  rising,  gravely  said,  "  Gentlemen, 
there  is  only  one  way  that  I  see  to  decide  this  ques 
tion —  to  put  you  both  on  your  ships  again,  give 
you  back  your  crews,  and  try  it  over." 

Either  the  humor  or  the  force  of  this  remark 
must  have  struck  each  one  of  his  late  antagonists, 
for  they  ceased  their  bickering  at  once. 

An  anecdote  is  related  showing  the  spirit  of  the 
men  on  board  the  Constitution  at  the  time.  As  she 
forged  down  upon  the  waiting  English  vessels  grog 
was  issued,  as  was  customary,  to  the  crews  stand 
ing  at  the  guns.  An  old  quartermaster,  noting  with 
anger  the  eagerness  of  the  men  to  claim  a  double 
share,  as  there  were  two  vessels  to  fight,  walked  down 
the  deck  and  kicked  over  two  buckets  of  the  spirits 
into  the  scuppers,  exclaiming,  "  Shame,  messmates ; 
we  need  no  Dutch  courage  on  board  this  ship  !" 

This  little  incident,  while  it  might  not  have  damp 
ened  the  crew's  ardor,  may  have  accounted  for  the 
lack  of  cheers. 

It  is  to  be  noticed  that  the  weight  of  shot  fired 
by  the  British  vessels  was  heavier  than  the  Consti 
tutions  by  ninety  pounds. 

In  the  action  with  the  Guerriere  the  Constitution 
had  been  hulled  three  times,  and  in  that  with  the 
Java  four  times.  In  this  engagement  thirteen  shots 
reached  her  hull. 


THE  "  CONSTITUTION,"  "  CYANE,"  AND  "  LEVANT  "   239 

Only  one  of  the  prizes  was  destined  to  reach  the 
United  States — the  Cyane — and  the  reason  for  this 
makes  a  separate  story  in  itself. 

After  the  action  the  vessels  set  sail  for  the  island 
St.  Jago,  and  entered  the  harbor  of  Porto  Praya, 
having  previously  touched  at  one  of  the  Cape  Verd 
Islands. 

On  the  1 2th  of  March,  as  they  lay  at  anchor  under 
the  guns  of  the  neutral  battery,  three  ships  were  dis 
covered  in  the  offing.  Soon  they  were  made  out  to 
be  frigates,  and  the  Constitution  gave  signal  to  get 
under  way.  No  sooner  had  this  happened  than 
the  forts  on  the  shore  commenced  firing  upon  the 
Americans,  and  the  British  vessels  hoisted  the  Eng 
lish  colors.  The  Constitution  and  the  Levant  were 
standing  on  the  wind  to  the  southward  and  eastward, 
with  all  three  of  the  enemy  in  chase.  The  Cyane 
bore  up  to  the  north,  and  shaped  her  course  towards 
the  United  States.  The  Levant,  a  much  slower 
sailer  than  the  Constitution,  kept  falling  behind, 
and  Stewart  saw  that  it  would  be  foolishness  to 
attempt  to  close  with  a  force  so  much  superior. 

He  signalled  Lieutenant  Ballard,  the  prize  com 
mander  of  the  Levant,  to  make  back  to  the  harbor; 
she  came  about,  made  the  entrance  safely,  and 
anchored  in  so  close  to  the  shore  as  to  run  her  jib- 
boom  over  the  Portuguese  battery ;  and  the  latter, 
as  if  to  show  her  "  neutrality"  to  the  satisfaction  of 
the  English,  cowardly  fired  upon  her  as  she  lay 
there,  and,  despite  the  fact  that  Ballard  did  not  reply, 


240  NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE  WAR  OF    l8l2 

but  hauled  down  his  flag,  the  Acasta  and  the  New 
castle,  two  of  the  pursuers,  came  in  and  also  fired  at 
her  a  number  of  times.  But,  as  if  in  poetic  justice  for 
the  action  of  the  Portuguese,  they  did  more  harm  to 
the  town  than  to  the  ship. 

When  the  officer  from  the  British  squadron  came 
on  board  the  Levant,  he  advanced  briskly  to  the 
quarter-deck,  and,  with  no  attempt  to  conceal  his 
eagerness,  exclaimed  to  Lieutenant  Ballard,  who 
there  awaited  him  : 

"  Sir,  I  believe  I  have  the  honor  of  taking  the 
sword  of  Captain  Blakeley,  commander  of  the  Amer 
ican  sloop  of  war  the  Wasp'' 

"  No,  sir,"  was  the  reply  ;  "  if  you  have  an  excess 
of  pride  in  this  case,  you  have  the  honor  of  receiv 
ing  the  sword  of  Captain  Ballard,  prize  commander 
of  His  British  Majesty's  ship  the  Levant? 

It  was  evident  from  the  crestfallen  appearance  of 
the  Britisher  that  he  had  expected  a  different  reply. 
To  receive  the  sword  of  Blakeley  would  have  been 
a  feather  in  his  cap. 

A  strange  state  of  things  existed  on  board  the 
Constitution  as  she  sailed  off  to  the  west.  She  had 
on  board  no  fewer  than  240  prisoners,  and  the  num 
ber  of  English  officers  who  were  unwilling  guests 
was  double  that  of  her  own.  As  this  was  the  last 
cruise  of  the  grand  old  ship  in  the  second  war  with 
Great  Britain,  a  short  resume  of  her  career  will  be 
of  interest : 

Exclusive  of  the  merchant  vessels  that  had  been 


THE  "  CONSTITUTION,"  "  CYANE,"  AND  "  LEVANT  "   24! 

sent  back  to  the  United  States,  in  her  actions  with 
armed  vessels  of  the  English  navy  she  had  taken  154 
guns,  made  upwards  of  900  prisoners,  killed  or 
wounded  298  of  the  enemy,  and  the  value  of  the 
property  captured  could  not  be  estimated  at  less 
than  one  and  a  half  millions  of  dollars. 

The  strange  discrepancy  which  existed  between 
the  loss  of  life  on  board  of  her  and  her  antagonists 
is  to  be  noted.  In  her  action  with  the  Cyane  and 
the  Levant  she  lost  3  killed  and  1 3  wounded,  while 
the  killed  and  wounded  on  board  her  opponents,  so 
far  as  could  be  ascertained,  were  77. 

Another  interesting  fact  is  that  she  has  been  in 
commission  within  the  last  twelve  years,  and  only 
a  few  years  ago  she  again  breasted  the  waves,  and 
was  towed  from  the  capes  of  the  Delaware  to  her 
final  resting-place  in  Massachusetts  Bay. 


XVIII 

THE  -HORNET"  AND  THE  "  PENGUIN" 
[March  23d,  1815] 


MEDAL    PRESENTED    BY   CONGRESS   TO 
CAPTAIN    JAMES    BIDDI.E 


LIEUTENANT  JAMES  BIDDLE  had  dis 
tinguished  himself  in  the  Mediterranean  in 
the  war  with  the  Barbary  pirates,  having 
been  one  of  the  officers  captured  with  Captain  Bain- 
bridge  on  board  the  Philadelphia,  and  being,  with 
Bainbridge,  held  prisoner  during  those  historic 
months  of  captivity  in  Tripoli.  Biddle  was  a  young 
man  of  much  determination,  and  his  career  as  a 
junior  officer  was  full  of  adventure  and  the  success 
ful  overcoming  of  hardships.  On  the  outbreak  of 
the  war  of  1812  he  sought  every  opportunity  to  be 
in  the  thick  of  it,  neglecting  no  chance  to  distin 
guish  himself  or  to  add  lustre  to  his  name. 

In  the  action  between  the  Wasp  and  His  British 
Majesty's  sloop  of  war  the  Frolic,  Biddle  proved 
himself  to  have  the  proper  spirit  of  a  leader,  and 
both  he  and  Captain  Jones  were  honored  by  Con 
gress  and  the  country  after  their  short  sojourn  in  an 
English  prison ;  for  it  must  be  remembered  that  the 
Wasp  and  her  prize  were  taken,  within  a  few  hours 
after  their  engagement,  by  a  British  seventy-four, 
the  Poictiers. 

Upon  his  return  to  the  United  States  Biddle  was 
promoted  to  the  rank  of  captain,  and  at  this  time 
Captain  James  Lawrence,  in  consequence  of  his  own 


246  NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE  WAR  OF   l8l2 

promotion,  had  just  left  the  sloop  of  war  Hornet, 
which,  under  him,  had  fought  so  bravely  and  so  fort 
unately  in  the  southern  seas.  Captain  Biddle 
asked  for  the  command  of  the  Hornet  immediately 
upon  Lawrence's  leaving  her — she  was  then  lying  in 
New  York  Harbor.  His  request  was  granted,  and 
orders  were  given  him  to  join  his  vessel  with  the 
frigate  Chesapeake,  then  at  Boston  nearly  ready  for 
a  cruise.  But  he  and  the  brave  Lawrence  were 
never  to  make  a  voyage  in  company.  News  trav 
elled  slowly  in  those  days,  and  young  Captain  Bid- 
die  went  on  with  his  preparations,  sailing  at  last 
without  hearing  of  the  sad  fate  of  his  superior. 

By  the  capture  of  the  Chesapeake,  however,  all 
the  signals  and  orders  had  fallen  into  the  hands 
of  the  enemy.  Immediately  a  frigate  and  several 
smaller  vessels  were  sent  out  by  the  British  to  inter 
cept  the  Hornet. 

Captain  Biddle  had  weighed  anchor  not  alone, 
however,  but  in  company  with  the  frigates  United 
States  and  Macedonian,  going  from  New  York 
through  the  Sound,  as  there  was  then  a  large  Brit 
ish  blockading  force  off  Sandy  Hook.  The  little 
American  squadron  was  under  the  command  of 
Commodore  Decatur. 

On  the  first  day  of  June,  within  sight  of  Montauk 
Point,  the  three  Yankee  vessels  were  met  by  a 
larger  and  heavier  force  of  the  enemy.  Decatur 
put  back  into  the  Sound  and  entered  New  London 
Harbor,  closely  pursued  by  the  British,  a  ship  of  the 


THE  "  HORNET  "  AND  THE  "  PENGUIN  "  247 

line  leading.  In  this  chase  the  Hornet,  being  deep- 
laden  and  consequently  slow,  was  nearly  overtaken, 
being  fired  at  by  the  two  headmost  ships  at  quite 
near  range.  The  American  vessels,  going  through 
Fisher's  Island  Sound,  proceeded  up  the  river 
Thames,  and  were  moored  across  it,  stem  to  stern, 
in  order  the  better  to  defend  themselves. 

A  long  and  tedious  blockade  now  began,  and 
Biddle's  anxious  spirit  and  courageous  disposition 
fretted  under  the  confinement.  It  was  his  first  com 
mand  ;  he  was  extremely  anxious  to  measure  his 
strength  with  an  enemy  whose  force  was  equal  to 
his  own,  and  he  tried  again  and  again  to  obtain 
permission  to  make  an  attempt  to  elude  the  British 
squadron  at  the  mouth  of  the  river;  but  in  this  he 
failed,  Decatur,  his  senior,  forbidding  him  to  risk 
the  venture.  For  six  long  months  no  move  was 
made  by  either  side,  although  alarms  were  frequent. 

Early  in  January,  1814,  the  blockading  forces  at 
New  London  were  the  Ramillies  (74),  Commodore 
Sir  Thomas  Hardy;  the  Endymion,  Captain  Hope; 
and  the  Statira,  frigate,  Captain  Stackpole.  There 
were  also  one  or  two  smaller  armed  vessels  within 
call.  Upon  one  occasion  an  American  prisoner  of 
war,  who  was  about  to  be  landed  at  New  London  in 
exchange,  was  present  during  a  conversation  among 
the  English  officers,  who,  tired  of  acting  as  jailers, 
were  anxious  for  a  conflict.  Upon  landing  he  re 
ported  what  he  had  heard  to  the  Americans,  and 
Captain  Biddle,  under  a  flag  of  truce,  obtained  an 


248  NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE   WAR  OF   l8l2 

interview  with  Sir  Thomas  Hardy  on  board  the 
Ramillies.  He  did  his  best  to  secure  a  meeting 
between  the  two  frigates  United  States  and  the 
Macedonian  on  one  side,  and  the  Endymion  and  the 
Stntira  on  the  other. 

Sir  Thomas,  after  thinking  the  matter  over,  de 
clined  the  meeting  between  the  Endymion  and  the 
United  States  on  account  of  the  difference  in  force ; 
the  captain  of  the  Statira  did  not  wish  to  try  it 
alone,  and  so  the  meeting  fell  through.  And  what  a 
strange  comment  upon  the  pomp  and  circumstance 
of  war !  Biddle  was  so  anxious  himself  to  fight,  and 
so  trusted  in  the  honor  of  the  enemy,  that,  hearing 
that  a  British  corvette  was  shortly  to  join  the  sta 
tion,  he  would  have  sailed  out  through  the  hostile 
fleet  in  the  Hornet  to  meet  her  all  alone.  It  was 
the  Loup-Cervier  that  was  soon  expected  to  arrive ; 
this  vessel  had  once  been  the  tidy  American  sloop 
of  war  the  Wasp,  and  Biddle  had  been  second  in 
command  of  her.  Now,  however,  she  was  under  a 
Captain  Mends,  and  flew,  instead  of  the  "sailors' 
rights,"  the  cross  of  St.  George.  However,  after 
some  correspondence,  the  meeting  was  given  up, 
much  to  Biddle's  chagrin,  and  the  rechristened 
Loup-Cervier  sailed  out  to  sea  after  delivering  de 
spatches. 

All  through  the  winter  a  close  blockade  of  New 
London  was  kept  up,  and  it  was  found  impossible 
to  make  any  escape.  At  last  the  government  or 
dered  the  two  American  frigates  to  be  moved  up 


THE  "HORNET"  AND  THE  "PENGUIN"        249 

the  Thames  as  far  as  possible,  and  there  they  were 
dismantled.  The  officers  and  crew  were  transferred 
to  other  cities,  while  Captain  Biddle  was  ordered  to 
continue  at  New  London  for  the  protection  of  the 
shipping.  In  vain  he  protested  against  this  hope 
less  and  mortifying  situation.  The  enemy  made  no 
serious  preparations  for  trying  to  take  the  force  up 
the  river,  and  at  last  Biddle  succeeded  in  obtain 
ing  permission  to  try  to  sail  through  the  British 
fleet.  Leaving  the  United  States  and  the  Mace 
donian  protected  by  land  batteries,  he  placed  the 
Hornet  in  the  best  of  trim,  and  on  the  night  of  the 
1 8th  of  November,  undiscovered,  he  drifted  past  the 
guard-ships  and  arrived  safely  at  New  York.  It 
was  seventeen  months  since  he  had  been  free. 

Biddle  was  immediately  attached,  with  his  ship, 
to  the  command  of  Commodore  Decatur  again, 
and  was  ordered  for  a  cruise  to  the  East  Indies. 
The  frigate  President,  the  flag-ship  of  the  little 
squadron,  went  to  sea  on  the  i4th  of  January,  1815, 
and  from  the  outset  was  pursued  by  the  worst 
of  misfortunes,  that  included  shipwreck  and  final 
capture.  On  the  23d  of  January  —  not  knowing 
of  the  loss  of  the  President — the  Peacock,  the  Hor 
net,  and  a  store-vessel  went  out  to  sea  in  a  gale 
of  wind.  Three  days  afterwards  they  separated, 
and,  hearing  of  the  President's  fate  from  a  mer 
chantman,  set  out  for  themselves.  Late  in  March, 
Biddle  anchored  near  the  headlands  of  Tristan 
d'Acunha,  and  on  the  23d  of  the  month,  off  the 


2$O  NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE  WAR  OF   l8l2 

island,  a  sail  was  discovered  to  the  southward  and 
eastward.  The  Hornet,  ever  on  the  alert,  raised 
anchor  and  bore  up  before  the  wind.  When  within 
five  miles  Biddle  shortened  sail  and  waited  for  the 
stranger  to  come  down  to  him.  It  is  quite  amusing 
to  think  that  the  idea  that  was  uppermost  in  the 
mind  of  the  British  commander  (for  it  was  H.  M.  S. 
Penguin,  a  heavily  armed  brig,  that  the  Hornet  had 
sighted)  was  this :  that  if  the  American  saw  who  it 
was  and  how  formidable  was  his  ship,  he  would  es 
cape.  So  the  Englishman  concealed  his  identity  as 
much  as  possible  by  clumsily  taking  in  his  sail  to 
encourage  Biddle  to  wait  for  him,  carefully  keeping 
bow  on  to  the  Hornet  to  hide  his  strength.  Biddle, 
not  understanding  his  intention,  and  the  idea  of  run 
ning  away  being  the  last  thing  in  the  world  for  him 
to  think  about,  was  puzzled.  He  wore  ship  three 
times,  trying  to  get  the  other  to  haul  by  the  wind 
and  to  show  his  broadside,  but  without  success.  As 
the  enemy  approached  nearly  within  musket-shot, 
the  Englishman  at  last  hauled  on  the  starboard  tack 
and  hoisted  his  colors,  firing  a  challenging  gun. 
Biddle  immediately  luffed,  flew  his  ensign,  and  gave 
the  enemy  a  broadside.  It  was  then  about  forty 
minutes  past  one.  The  action  became  brisk,  and 
in  fifteen  minutes  the  Englishman  came  down 
again,  bow  foremost,  as  if  he  would  fall  on  board 
the  Hornet.  Orders  were  given  to  prepare  to  re 
pel  the  expected  boarders,  but  the  men  could 
scarcely  be  restrained  from  tumbling  over  the 


THE  "HORNET      AND  THE  "  PENGUIN  2$  I 

bow  of  the  Penguin  as  her  jib-boom  crossed  the 
Hornefs  taffrail. 

There  was  a  considerable  swell,  the  sea  lifted 
the  Hornet  ahead,  and  the  bowsprit  of  the  enemy 
(her  men  had  displayed  no  intention  of  boarding) 
carried  away  the  mizzen-shrouds  and  swept  the  side. 
Just  then  an  officer  bravely  stood  upon  the  bulwarks 
of  the  English  brig,  and  at  the  risk  of  his  life  shouted 
out  that  he  had  surrendered.  He  was  Lieutenant 
McDonald,  the  Penguins  first  lieutenant.  At  this 
moment  the  enemy  was  swinging  clear,  Diddle  was 
prepared  to  give  him  another  broadside,  and  with 
difficulty  could  he  restrain  his  crew,  as  the  Penguin 
certainly  had  fired  after  Lieutenant  McDonald  had 
said  he  had  surrendered.  One  of  the  last  shots  had 
struck  Captain  Biddle,  wounding  him  severely  in  the 
neck.  In  fact,  throughout  the  action  he  was  almost 
unrecognizable,  because  of  wounds  which  he  had  re 
ceived  from  splinters  in  his  face.  Several  times  his 
men  had  asked  him  to  go  below. 

It  was  exactly  twenty-two  minutes  from  the  be 
ginning  of  the  action  to  the  time  when  the  Penguin 
was  boarded  by  a  boat  from  the  Hornet.  The  for 
mer  vessel  proved  to  be  one  of  the  strongest  ves 
sels  of  her  class,  mounting  16  32-pound  carronades, 
2  long  sixes,  and  a  1 2-pound  carronade  on  her  top 
gallant  forecastle,  with  swivels  on  the  capstan  and 
in  the  tops ;  she  had  a  spare  port  forward  so  as 
to  fire  both  of  her  long  guns  on  a  side.  When  she 
had  sailed  from  England  on  the  ist  of  September 


2^2  NAVAL  ACTIONS  OF  THE   WAR  OF   l8l2 

she  was  manned  by  a  picked  crew,  that  was  after 
wards  reinforced  by  marines  taken  from  the  Medway, 
a  seventy-four.  Out  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-two 
persons  that  formed  her  crew  she  lost  fourteen  killed 
and  twenty-eight  wounded,  among  the  latter  number 
being  her  commander,  Captain  Dickinson.  Not  a 
single  round  shot  struck  the  hull  of  the  Hornet,  but 
her  sides  were  filled  with  grape  and  her  sails  and 
rigging  much  cut.  She  had  but  one  man  killed  and 
eleven  wounded.  The  Penguin  was  so  badly  rid 
dled  that  she  sank,  it  not  being  worth  the  while  to 
attempt  to  save  her.  But  the  Hornet,  after  obtain 
ing  a  new  set  of  sails,  was  ready  for  service  without 
going  home  for  repairs  or  refitting.  The  English 
journals,  in  commenting  on  this  fact,  advocated 
strongly  the  adoption  of  the  American  system  of 
gunnery  instruction,  to  which  a  Baltimore  paper  re 
plied  that  the  only  thing  they  (the  British)  needed 
to  be  taught  was  "  to  shoot  Yankee  fashion — viz., 
straighter  and  more  often." 


XIX 

THE  ESCAPE  OF  THE   "HORNET" 

[April  2Qth,  1815] 


ALTHOUGH  the  treaty  of  peace  between 
England  and  the  United  States  was  con 
cluded  at  Ghent  on  November  24th,  in  the 
year  1814,  hostilities  continued  even  after  the  sign 
ing  of  the  document  that  took  place  a  month  later 
to  a  day. 

This  can  be  well  understood  when  we  stop  to 
think  that  at  the  best  rates  of  travelling  it  would 
take  in  the  neighborhood  of  three  weeks,  or  possi 
bly  four,  for  the  news  to  reach  the  United  States. 

The  battle  of  New  Orleans,  so  disastrous  to  the 
English  arms,  would  never  have  taken  place  if  there 
had  been  such  a  thing  as  a  cable  in  those  days. 
Nor  would  there  have  occurred  several  smart  ac 
tions  at  sea,  including,  sad  to  relate,  the  capture  of 
the  U.  S.  S.  President  by  a  British  squadron. 

There  is  no  excuse,  however,  for  the  long  de 
tention  of  American  prisoners  in  the  hands  of  the 
British,  when  there  was  no  longer  any  chance  of 
their  serving  against  her. 

On  February  i  ;th  President  Madison  ratified  the 
Treaty  of  Ghent,  and  hostilities  practically  ceased, 
although,  of  course,  not  knowing  this  fact,  Captain 
Stewart,  in  command  of  the  Constitution,  captured 
the  Cyane  and  the  Levant,  two  British  sloops  of  war. 


2 $6  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE  WAR  OF    l8l2 

And  on  the  23d  of  March,  on  a  foreign  station,  the 
gallant  Captain  Biddle,  in  command  of  the  Hornet^ 
captured  and  sank  the  Penguin. 
.  But  even  so  long  past  the  time  when  the  news 
might  have  been  expected  to  be  about  the  world, 
on  April  27th,  1815,  off  the  Island  of  San  Salvador, 
the  sloop  of  war  Hornet  had  the  last  hostile  experi 
ence  with  the  English  of  that  eventful  period.  The 
little  sloop  was  sailing  in  company  with  the  Peacock, 
and  together  they  made  a  pair  of  fighters  that  were 
not  afraid  of  anything  that  carried  in  the  neighbor 
hood  of  their  weight  of  metal. 

In  a  letter  from  Biddle,  the  senior  captain,  to 
Stephen  Decatur  appears  the  following :  "  The  Pea 
cock  and  this  ship,  having  continued  off  Tristan 
d'Acunha  the  number  of  days  directed  by  you  in  your 
letter  of  instruction,  proceeded  in  company  to  the 
eastward  on  the  twelfth  day  of  April,  bound  to  the 
second  place  of  rendezvous.  Nothing  of  any  impor 
tance  occurred  until  the  twenty-second  day  of  April  at 
7  A.M.,  in  latitude  38°  30'  and  longitude  33'  east.  The 
wind  was  from  northeast  by  north  and  light  through 
the  day,  and  by  sundown  we  had  neared  the  chase 
considerably.  It  was  calm  during  the  day,  and  at 
daylight  on  the  28th  he  [Warrington  of  the  Peacock'] 
was  not  in  sight.  A  breeze  springing  from  the 
northwest,  we  crowded  steering  sails  on  both  sides, 
and. the  chase  was  made  out  standing  to  the  north 
ward  upon  a  wind.  At  2.45  P.M.  the  Peacock  was 
about  six  miles  ahead  of  this  ship,  and,  observing 


THE  ESCAPE   OF  THE   "HORNET"  257 

that  she  appeared  to  be  suspicious  of  the  chase,  I 
took  in  starboard  steering-sails  and  hauled  up  for 
the  Peacock.  I  was  still,  however,  of  opinion  that 
the  chase  was  an  Indiaman,  though,  indeed,  the  at 
mosphere  was  quite  smoky  and  indistinct,  and  I  con 
cluded  she  was  very  large.  Captain  Warrington  was 
waiting  for  me  to  join  him,  that  we  might  get  to 
gether  alongside  of  her.  At  3.22  P.M.  the  Peacock 
made  the  signal  that  the  chase  was  a  ship  of  the  line 
and  an  enemy.  I  took  in  immediately  all  steering- 
sails  and  hauled  upon  the  wind,  the  enemy  being 
then  upon  our  lee  quarter,  distant  about  eight  miles. 
By  sundown  I  had  perceived  that  the  enemy  sailed 
remarkably  fast  and  was  very  weatherly."  .  .  . 

This  letter  was  dated  from  San  Salvador,  June 
loth,  1815. 

It  had  been  very  calm  on  the  morning  of  the  28th 
when  the  great  ship  had  been  sighted  which,  as 
Biddle  has  recorded,  every  one  took  to  be  a  large 
East- Indiaman.  As  the  Peacock  was  in  advance  and 
to  the  windward  of  the  stranger,  it  was  feared  by 
the  crew  of  the  Hornet  that  she  would  be  first  to 
place  herself  alongside  and  secure  the  rich  prize. 
According  to  the  private  journal  of  one  of  the  offi 
cers  on  the  Hornet,  they  had  already  begun  in  their 
imagination  to  divide  the  contents  of  the  vessel  they 
expected  to  capture  among  them.  If  she  came 
from  the  Indies,  the  sailors  declared  that  they  would 
carpet  the  berth-deck  with  costly  rugs ;  while  if 
she  hailed  from  England  and  was  on  an  outward 
17 


258  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE   WAR  OF    l8l2 

voyage,  the  officers  revelled  in  the  idea  of  what  her 
larder  might  contain  ;  the  probable  value  of  her  car 
go  was  estimated  carefully. 

The  Hornet  was  crowding  on  all  sail  in  order  to 
draw  up  before  the  Peacock  should  have  had  the 
best  of  the  picking.  Captain  Biddle  was  on  deck 
with  his  glass  in  hand  watching  the  Peacock,  when 
suddenly  he  saw  her  swing  about  (she  was  well  to 
windward),  and  fly  a  signal  telling  that  the  big 
vessel  was  a  ship  of  the  line.  The  Peacock  was  a 
faster  sailer  than  the  Hornet,  as  the  latter  sat  deep 
in  the  water,  and,  owing  to  the  weight  of  metal  she 
carried,  was  slow  in  stays.  But  it  was  evident,  by 
six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  three  hours  after  War- 
rington  had  signalled  Biddle  to  beware  of  approach 
ing  nearer,  that  the  big  fellow  had  turned  the  ta 
bles  and  was  evidently  the  pursuer,  with  the  inten 
tion  of  running  down  the  Hornet.  Every  minute 
the  sails  rose  higher  and  higher  above  the  horizon 
until  the  great  hull  was  in  plain  view.  She  weath 
ered  the  little  Hornet,  and  it  was  seen  that  at  the 
rate  of  progress  the  two  were  making  the  seventy- 
four  would  be  within  gunshot  sometime  during  the 
night. 

Immediately  the  wedges  of  the  lower  masts  were 
loosened,  and  at  nine  o'clock  orders  were  given  to 
lighten  ship  as  much  as  possible.  The  sheet-anchor 
was  cut  away  and  hove  overboard,  and  all  of  the 
cable  followed  it.  Then  the  spare  rigging  and  spars 
were  put  over  the  side,  and  before  ten  o'clock  they 


THE   ESCAPE   OF  THE   "  HORNET  "  259 

scuttled  the  wardroom-deck  and  hove  overboard 
about  fifty  tons  of  the  kentledge. 

It  was  a  bright  night,  with  all  the  stars  shining, 
and  there  was  no  use  disguising  the  matter :  the  Hor 
net  was  continually  dropping  back.  The  seventy- 
four  fired  a  gun  and  signalled,  but  Biddle  did  not 
respond.  Like  Hull,  who  brought  the  Constitution 
successfully  away  from  a  superior  force,  by  pluck 
and  attention  to  duty,  knowledge  and  seamanship, 
he  determined  to  leave  nothing  untried  that  would 
tend  to  increase  the  rate  of  his  vessel's  sailing. 

At  two  in  the  morning  the  Hornet  tacked  to  the 
southward  and  westward,  and  immediately  the  enemy 
astern  did  likewise.  At  daylight  the  line-of-battle 
ship  was  within  gunshot  on  the  Hornet's  lee  quarter. 
At  seven  in  the  morning  the  English  colors  were 
displayed  at  the  peak  of  the  Britisher,  and  a  rear- 
admiral's  flag  was  flown  at  his  mizzen-topgallant 
mast-head.  At  the  same  time  he  began  firing  from 
his  bow  guns — it  must  be  assumed  more  as  an  im 
perious  order  for  the  Hornet  to  show  her  colors  and 
heave  to  than  with  an  idea  of  crippling  her,  for  the 
shot  overreached  her  about  a  mile. 

Biddle  paid  no  attention  at  all,  but  having  as 
certained  that  the  lightening  of  his  ship  made  her 
much  faster,  he  went  at  it  again,  cutting  away  the 
remaining  anchors,  and  letting  every  foot  of  cable 
go  overboard.  Then  he  broke  up  the  launch  and 
left  the  debris  in  the  wake.  Even  the  provisions 
were  broken  into,  and  barrels  of  salt-horse  and  bread 


260  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE   WAR   OF    l8l2 

thrown  out  upon  the  waters.  Then  more  kentledge 
followed,  and,  tapping  the  magazines,  he  threw  over 
all  but  a  dozen  or  so  of  round  shot.  Then  over  went 
the  capstan,  which  was  no  easy  job,  and  they  began 
on  the  guns ;  one  after  another  they  plashed  over 
board.  All  this  time  the  Cornwallis,  the  great  sev 
enty-four,  kept  up  a  continual  firing,  to  which  no 
reply  was  made.  In  fact,  for  four  hours  the  Eng 
lish  gunners  displayed  the  worst  marksmanship  on 
record,  for  their  shot  continually  went  ahead  of  and 
all  around  the  Hornet  without  once  striking  her, 
although  several  passed  between  her  masts. 

At  eleven  the  breeze  began  to  freshen,  and  the 
seventy-four  commenced  to  creep  up  slowly,  and  then 
gain  all  at  once  in  a  manner  which  caused  Biddle  to 
believe  that  the  Englishman  had  made  alterations  in 
his  trim.  By  noon  the  wind  had  shifted  slightly,  and 
was  squally,  with  fresh  breezes  from  the  westward. 
It  was  Sunday,  the  3oth,  but  there  was  no  service 
held.  Gloom  was  everywhere  throughout  the  Amer 
ican  vessel:  staring  them  in  the  face  were  appar 
ently  inevitable  capture  and  the  frightful  confine 
ment  in  an  English  prison.  Many  of  the  crew  had 
already  been  impressed  and  had  served  in  the  English 
navy,  escaping  from  time  to  time,  and  the  idea  of 
being  held  as  deserters — deserters  to  a  country  that 
was  not  theirs — gave  cause  for  much  unhappiness. 
At  i  P.M.  the  Cornwallis  was  so  close  that  her 
commander  began  to  fire  by  divisions,  and  once 
let  go  his  entire  broadside  loaded  with  round  and 


THE   ESCAPE   OF  THE   "HORNET"  261 

grape.  But,  as  is  recorded  in  the  journal,  "  the  for 
mer  passed  between  our  masts  and  the  latter  fell 
all  around  us.  The  enemy  fired  shells,  but  they 
were  so  ill  directed  as  to  be  perfectly  harmless." 
And  now  began  what  looked  to  be  a  work  of  de 
struction,  and  which  was  intended  as  such,  no  doubt 
Biddle  determined  that  if  he  were  taken  there  would 
be  very  little  for  the  enemy  to  show  as  trophy. 
Overboard  went  all  the  muskets,  cutlasses,  and  iron 
work.  The  bell  was  broken  up,  and  the  topgallant 
forecastle  was  chopped  to  pieces.  All  this  time 
only  three-quarters  of  a  mile  on  the  lee  quarter  was 
the  great  ship  of  the  line  pouring  in  a  constant 
storm  of  shot  and  shell.  The  Yankee  tars  trimmed 
ship  by  massing  themselves  against  the  rail,  after 
the  fashion  of  a  yacht's  crew. 

At  four  o'clock  a  shot  from  the  enemy  struck  the 
jib-boom,  and  another  caught  the  starboard  bulwark 
just  forward  of  the  gangway.  A  third  smashed  on 
the  deck  forward  of  the  main-hatch,  and,  glancing  up, 
passed  through  the  foresail.  It  struck  immediate 
ly  over  the  head  of  a  wounded  Yankee  sailor  who 
had  been  hurt  in  the  action  with  the  Penguin;  the 
splinters  were  scattered  all  around  the  invalid,  and  a 
small  paper  flag,  the  American  ensign,  that  he  had 
hoisted  over  his  cot,  was  struck  down.  But  imme 
diately  he  lifted  it  up  and  waved  it  about  his  head. 
In  fact,  to  quote  again  from  the  entry  in  the  journal, 
"  Destruction  stared  us  in  the  face  if  we  did  not  sur 
render,  yet  no  officer,  no  man  in  the  ship,  showed 


262  NAVAL  ACTIONS   OF  THE  WAR   OF    l8l2 

any  disposition  to  let  the  enemy  have  the  poor  little 
Hornet? 

Captain  Biddle  mustered  the  crew,  and  told  them 
that,  as  they  might  soon  be  captured,  he  hoped  to 
perceive  that  propriety  of  conduct  that  had  dis 
tinguished  them,  and  that  he  was  pleased  at  being 
their  commander.  But  now,  as  if  by  a  miracle,  the 
Hornet  began  to  gain.  The  wind  blew  more  aft, 
and  by  five  the  enemy's  shot  fell  short.  Biddle  had 
not  replied  even  with  his  stern-chaser  to  all  this 
cannonading,  for  he  had  noticed  that  the  other's  fir 
ing  hampered  her  sailing.  At  half-past  five  the  crew 
broke  out  into  a  cheer,  for  the  Cornwallis  was  drop 
ping  behind,  slowly,  but  surely.  Now  Biddle  showed 
his  colors,  and  so  fast  did  the  Hornet  pick  up,  with 
the  wind  in  her  favorite  quarter  for  good  going,  that 
a  few  minutes  after  six  the  enemy  was  hull  down. 
All  night  long  the  distance  between  the  two  in 
creased,  and  at  daylight  the  Cornwallis  was  fifteen 
miles  behind.  At  nine  o'clock  she  shortened  sail, 
hauled  upon  the  wind  to  the  eastward,  and  gave  up, 
after  a  chase  of  forty-two  hours. 

A  remarkable  circumstance  of  this  affair  is  that, 
owing  to  the  variableness  of  the  wind,  the  Hornet 
had  made  a  perfect  circle  around  the  battle-ship. 

The  relief  occasioned  to  all  by  the  escape  was 
vented  in  cheering,  and,  extra  grog  being  passed,  the 
men  were  in  extremely  good  temper,  despite  the 
fact  of  their  precarious  condition,  for  they  were  on 
the  high  seas  with  no  guns,  no  boats,  no  anchors, 


THE   ESCAPE   OF  THE   "  HORNET  "  263 

and  short  of  provisions.  They  had  packed  up  all 
their  things,  thinking  that  they  would  soon  have  to 
go  on  board  the  enemy  as  prisoners,  but  now,  joy 
fully,  they  returned  them  to  their  places. 

In  the  fine  writing  of  the  period  that  every  per 
son  who  touched  pen  and  ink  seemed  prone  to,  the 
author  of  the  journal  says :  "  This  was  truly  a  glorious 
victory  over  the  horrors  of  banishment  and  the 
terrors  of  a  British  floating  dungeon.  Quick  as 
thought,  every  face  was  changed  from  the  gloom  of 
despair  to  the  highest  smile  of  delight,  and  we  be 
gan  once  more  to  breathe  the  sweets  of  liberty. 
The  bitter  sighs  of  regret  were  now  changed." 

Biddle  asked  and  obtained  a  court  of  inquiry  to 
investigate  the  matter  of  his  throwing  overboard  al 
most  everything  but  the  skin  of  his  vessel,  and  on 
the  23d  of  August,  1815,  by  order  of  the  Secre 
tary  of  the  Navy,  court  was  convened  on  board  the 
Hornet,  and  the  following  opinion  was  pronounced : 
"  The  court,  after  mature  deliberation  on  the  testi 
mony  adduced,  are  of  opinion  that  no  blame  is  im- 
putable  to  Captain  Biddle  on  account  of  the  return 
of  the  Hornet  into  port  with  the  loss  of  her  arma 
ment,  stores,  etc.,  and  that  the  greatest  applause  is 
due  to  him  for  his  persevering  gallantry  and  nauti 
cal  skill,  evinced  in  escaping,  under  the  most  disad 
vantageous  circumstance,  after  a  long  and  arduous 
chase  by  a  British  line-of-battle  ship." 

The  Cornwaliis  fired  the  last  gunshot  of  the  war 
of  1812. 


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